Spain Legalizes Same-Sex Marriages

Jun 30, 6:38 AM (ET)

By MAR ROMAN

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Parliament legalized gay marriage Thursday, defying conservatives and clergy who opposed making traditionally Roman Catholic Spain the third country to allow same-sex unions nationwide. Jubilant gay activists blew kisses to lawmakers after the vote.
The measure passed the 350-seat Congress of Deputies by a vote of 187 to 147. The bill, part of the ruling Socialists' aggressive agenda for social reform, also lets gay couples adopt children and inherit each others' property.
The bill is now law. The Senate, where conservatives hold the largest number of seats, rejected the bill last week. But it is an advisory body and final say on legislation rests with the Congress of Deputies.
After the final tally was announced, gay and lesbian activists watching from the spectator section of the ornate chamber cried, cheered, hugged, waved to lawmakers and blew them kisses.

Several members of the conservative opposition Popular Party, which was vehemently opposed to the bill, shouted: "This is a disgrace." Those in favor stood and clapped.
The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two countries that allow gay marriage nationwide. Canada's House of Commons passed legislation Tuesday that would legalize gay marriage; its Senate is expected to pass the bill into law by the end of July.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero noted this in debate before the vote.
"We were not the first, but I am sure we will not be the last. After us will come many other countries, driven, ladies and gentlemen, by two unstoppable forces: freedom and equality," he told the chamber.
Zapatero said the reform of Spanish legal code simply adds one dry paragraph of legalese but means much more.

He called it "a small change in wording that means an immense change in the lives of thousands of citizens. We are not legislating, ladies and gentlemen, for remote unknown people. We are expanding opportunities for the happiness of our neighbors, our work colleagues, our friends, our relatives."
Zapatero lacks a majority in the chamber but got help from small regional-based parties that tend to be his allies.
Spanish gay couples can get married as soon as the law is published in the official government registry. This could come as early as Friday, or within two weeks at the latest, parliament's press office said.
Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy said after the vote that Zapatero has deeply divided Spain and should have sought a consensus in parliament that recognized same-sex unions but didn't call them marriage. Rajor said that if the vast majority of countries in the world don't accept gay marriage, including some run by Socialists, there must be a reason.
"I think the prime minister has committed a grave act of irresponsibility," Rajor told reporters.

Beatriz Gimeno, a longtime leader of the gay rights movement in Spain, held back tears as she hugged her partner Boti after the vote.
"It is a historic day for the world's homosexuals. We have been fighting for many years," Gimeno said. "Now comes the hardest part, which is changing society's mentality."
The gay marriage bill was the boldest and most divisive initiative of the liberal social agenda Zapatero has embarked on since taking office in April 2004. Parliament overhauled Spain's 25-year-old divorce law on Wednesday, also irking the church, by letting couples end their marriage without a mandatory separation or having to state a reason for the split-up, as required under the old law.
He has also pushed through legislation allowing stem-cell research and wants to loosen Spain's restrictive abortion law.
The Roman Catholic Church, which held much sway over the government just a generation ago when Gen. Francisco Franco was in power, had adamantly opposed gay marriage. In its first display of anti-government activism in 20 years, it endorsed a June 18 rally in which hundreds of thousands marched through Madrid in opposition to the bill. Some 20 bishops took part in the June 18 rally.
On Wednesday, a Catholic lay group called the Spanish Family Forum presented lawmakers with a petition bearing 600,000 signatures as a last-minute protest.
Late last year, the spokesman for the Spanish Bishops Conference, Antonio Martinez Camino said that allowing gay marriage was like "imposing a virus on society - something false that will have negative consequences for social life."
Despite the street protests in Madrid and elsewhere and the petition drive, polls suggest Spaniards supported gay marriage.
A survey released in May by pollster Instituto Opina said 62 percent of Spaniards support the government's action on this issue, and 30 percent oppose it. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. But surveys show Spaniards about evenly split over whether gay couples should be allowed to adopt children.

Imaginary Tears

Why?

Woke up that morning, refreshed head, revived soul...newborn mind. That day it began, yesterday it end.

The air smells sweet and beautiful, the ground feels solid, and quite secure.

Rain falls full of sound and measure. Each day, seemlessly blended to one.

Eyes close slowly, images of yesterday and tomorrow race in vivid color again tainting the newborn mind. Memories mixed with images of years down the road.

Say hello, wave goodbye on my mind. No matter how sure, uncertainty always, overpowering. Good lessons, mixed with bad, drowing.

I love you, you big GAY boy's & girl's!

Happy Pride Everyone

In Spirit, I am proud everyday...of who I see in the mirror, as well as all those faces I see either in person or in my head each day...

Cheers to another year of strength, happiness, and being who you are inside...no matter what

I have so much love for you all

June may be Pride Month, try to remember to show me your Pride during the 11 other months of the year..

xo

Bryan Thumbs Up

Bryan Thumbs Up
Originally uploaded by bfreedmb.

Here I sit, day in and out...no connection with the outside world, watching the world go by through my TV set.

It is amazing how your life, mood, everything can be altered when you are in an ill state. I wish it were just the flu, I wish the end of this suffering had a date. I wish I could go outside and play.

Until then I carry my ppositive attitude around in my back pocket. Hopefully I will soon be at the very least 87 percent.

(did I mention how sad I am that I am missing out on pride weekend in NYC...i complain about that atleast every 4 to 5 seconds....)

Bryan van

Bryan van
Originally uploaded by bfreedmb.

i wish that everyone could see me at that moment of "when no one is looking"

life is crazy like that when we walk and talk slightly different, with all those we encounter in life. You know you have those true friends when you can simply be, who you are, nevertheless, as if no one is looking.

I love the moments in life when I realize I am with those in my life when I can just be Bryan...I smile before, during and after, and I love it.

life is that amusement park ride that we pay for, only, not with money, rather experiences. We learn in happiness, and sadness. We learn with pain, and heartache, joy and overwhelming love. The price, balanced, inbetween.

smile with your tears

love you all, definitely mean it..!

See what I did

Winder4
Originally uploaded by bfreedmb.

So, since i have been unemployed, I found a new way to keep myself busy. I have been working at The Flower Zone in lovely Westfield, NJ

www.theflowerzone.net

So I wanted to share with everyone a lovely creation by Bryan. This is the window that I designed for "Prom2005" From the dress to the feathers, i did it all, with the brain that my momma gave me. This is a shot from inside the shop, i had troubles taking one from outside, as this place gets a lot of sun.

Isn't it wonderous...?

Tell me what you think

ciao

Monday Night, Babble

lately it seems, i have little to say
eventhough, the thoughts continue to swirl inside my head
confusion shaken, not stired, within each beautiful day
every night while I lay peacefully awake in my bed
i plan out the future, while i think about the past
opportunites at my fingertips
the life soon to be lived, with days rushing by so fast
everything, resting on my lips

i am so tired, but i forget often about just how tired i am. i keep living day to day, smiles natural, happiness enveloping. i am not in a low state, i dont feel depressed in the least. more so, i feel like i dont know what is going on. i dont do, think, or live remotly the way i did for the past 10 plus years, and it feels off, weird. tonight, sitting here enjoying a glass of merlot i wonder...first, why am i drinking merlot, but more importantly, how will i function when i get back in the fast lane. then i lean back in my chair and think, will i ever get back in the fast lane? i am living and surviving, the most important thing i have worried and thought about my entire life, yet i question. is it normal that i feel so alive, when i am not meeting any of the standardized guidelines for "life" as out elders see, and as youth is taught? i love life more so now, than ever...twenty-eight years old, and there is little i wish more for than what i have. hard to think, it is the opposite of what i thought i needed to be "whole".

today i went for my admissions meeting at The Artistic Academy...completed the paperwork, and now i truly belive this is going to happen for me. my eyes get a little teary when i think...years past and i have dreamt of tonight, funnier yet, it feels so wonderful, it feels like i am dreaming....

good night y'all

delayed reaction!

upset, overtired, angry, pissy, hurt

more than five years ago, i walked the streets with a frown. a confused boy with a broked heart. the first man i loved walked away. obviously, i recovered. i, being the niave person that i guess i am, eventhough the relationship was over, reflected fondly of the memories of first finding someone in this world that could love me. i reflected with nothing but fondness.

stupid, betrayed, unloved

these some five years later, after some number of conversations, i find out that this faithful, pure love i felt was neither pure nor faithful. talk about a delayed reaction. i simply feel like a fool. i guestion, how can something like this bring me down. something that happened many moons ago. why did i cry those four tears this morning while staring in the mirror?

i guess only one man ever truly loved me. and to that, i say thank you.

feeling insecure

does anyone read this blog...does not seem as though

....

hearts suck

sitting, listening around the room...nothing but silence
eyes closed tight, deep inside the silence the music starts
streems of tears crashing
mouth open, singing

"im gone and your still there"

months of weight crashing down
legs standing strong, the rain gushing down
i won't ever flintch

a tearful, unfortunate good bye oak tree

happiness or household cleaning tool

So, today I went to get a pedicure at the spa/nail salon by my house. It was a beautiful day, and a great way to bring the day to a close. The girl that does my pedicure always has silly things to talk about, as today she offered me a full leg waxing. Needless to say, I passed. We shared a few giggles, and so went my feet scrubbing and such.

Later on, I waited for Rachel's "after sex" nail polish to dry, and the women offered Rachel and I a pair of HOT PINK rubber gloves. She giggles as she gives them to me, thinking it would make me feel awkward, then procedes to tell me " Give them to your Mother, so your Father can be Happy".

Moments later, walking down the street to my house, i giggled a bit thinking, if only life were that easy.

AIDS WALK NY, 2005 - May 15, 2005

This will be the 5th year that I will be walking and raising money for the help to fight Aids. Please help me, help others

...click the mail box above to make a donation.

After the walk, I will post some photos to show just how handsome I look walking the walk with thousands of others...

xo

i wish

i wish controlling thoughts and feelings came easily
i wish questioning was unknown to me
i wish my foundation was a sound as I sell it to be
i wish i could take my own advice
i wish my head could make a decision without my heart
i wish people saw me like want them to
i wish my cat could clean his own litter box
i wish i could sing, and people would take notice
i wish happiness for all those that cross my path
i wish for things i believe are impossible, i wish my faith was stronger
i wish I believed in the overwhelming hope that lives inside of me
i wish smoking was neither good or bad for you
i wish fear was taught to us as a positive thing
i wish for you oak tree

objective friend

days of dreams answered
questions now rising like the sun into the sky
rationalizing these thoughts, every moment that has passed, amazing
the lights seen through my eyes speak truths, ten fold
sunglasses to hide behind, eventhough transparent
my invisible tears cried real, deep inside the darkness
warmth, flowing down my back
my feelings, real with life
looking up at you I see, these feeling developing, growing like a tree
......
i remember the first time, every word you spoke
i know where I stand, now my feeling awoke
numb arms, legs, glassy eyes
time to tell you, this boy cries
i hear your voice, your point seems clear
looking inside my heart, these feelings through tears
i stop, stand still, remind my time and place
it's hard to stop, stand back, while floating through space
i will look at you, you will know what I feel
nothing to question, nothing more real

"Cannonball" - Damien Rice-O

sometimes, you can't put your feelings into words, but someone else can...

Still a little bit of your taste in my mouth
Still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
Still a little hard to say what's going on

Still a little bit of your ghost your witness
Still a little BIT of your face I haven't kissed
You step a little closer EACH DAY
Still I can't SAY what's going on

Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball

Still a little bit of your song in my ear
Still a little bit of your words I long to hear
You step a little closer TO ME
So close that I can't see what's going on

Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannon

Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to cry
So come on courage!
Teach me to be shy
'Cause it's not hard to fall
And I don't WANNA scare her
It's not hard to fall
And I don't wanna lose
It's not hard to grow
When you know that you just don't know

white linen sheets

unimaginable, the energy that surrounds
laying back, silent in this dream, the strength of one multiplying
the soft cushion, comforting
your warmth, enveloping
a whirl-wind inside my chest, tight then smooth
dizzying, then settling
unexplainable, ten minutes that passed, numb, smiles, shivers, you
can you see, are you looking there
night moves forward, time stands still
refusing to blink while staring inside
i see your soul
i taste the air that surrounds you

you can't deal with my infinate nature

you'll spy...
yes...
on me...
yes...
will you be spying on me in the bathroom...
yes...

When it totally seems all over the place, it really is not...I completely enjoyed this movie.

I heart huckabee's (A)

I am laughing right now, just thinking back..gotta love Lily Tomlin

softly, content

the body, this tired planet waiting for discovery. lying flat, back arched, chills racing from head to toe.

a few moments feel like a lifetime, a few seconds like centuries. this feeling, pulsating throughout every ounce of human flesh. these chills, longing for warmth, longing, that simple powerful touch.

the blood of many souls swirling around inside the fishbowl glass, images of you dancing within the deep red swirls. images so real, eyes closed tight, a firm grip on hope and it all comes alive inside this fantasy.

soaring high above this world, looking down at the small planet, gazing through the clouds. trying to find balance, while shuffling through the piles of memories inside this mind. thoughts overpowering so, words barely able to describe them. tilted head weeping, smiling, thinking of you.

pillow framing this smile, eyes closed in ecstasy, shivering with each moment, a pinch, reminders of reality. arms raised bellowing emotion toward the sky, reaching the clouds, all within hearing distance.

witty smirk, head twisted looking backwards, chin resting on this here shoulder.

softly, content.

oak tree

cigarette burning away in the ash-tray. head resting in my hands, decisions I never thought I would be faced with, weighing heavy on my mind.

music playing on the radio, decisions dancing inside my mind. i can't remember when I was this tired before in life. so tired, yet full of life.

even when you think there will be no surprise around the corner, one grabs hold of you, shakes you around and makes you take notice.

staring out the window, thinking, not sure about what. blue-eyes, you think too much, smirk plastered on my face. something this easy can't be real, something this hard, can't be this easy.

being a true believer in fate, my smirk falls and my eyes close tight. questioning why, how, if. Everything. i can't remember the last time. why do I question, when enjoying is easier. life is what it is, is it not?

seeing the jersey lights shine, the center of the world in the distance. life can expire today, tomorrow, minutes from now. thinking, questioning...useless when the box closes. i already have the answers, today i stop questioning them.

my smiles are real. because i am full of life. thank you oak tree, for the gentle, absolute reminders.

get out of me

Three days have passed, and I have stared at the same images. I am not completely certain what I am feeling, or why. I am not certain about anything, while completely frustrated.

I take on, and handle what I am capable of, thrive to be the best person, the most caring person I can be. I never seems to be enough for me.

Five days from now, it is believed that life will change for me. Frustrated, I can't handle how frustrated I am.

Knowing is not always the best feeling, being in the dark leaves you content, even in the most miserably possible situations. Unimpressive sleeps better at night.

Scratching my head thinking, sipping a beer left over from a recent celebration. These clothes are starting to wear on me, this song repeating over and over again in my head.

Feet covered, jeans wrapped around my legs, I feel a chill no blanket can warm. Sitting up startled, I smirk at myself in the mirror, the only one in this world filled with people. Everyone is out there, while loneliness breeds inside this world, a loneliness indescribable with words. Indescribable in every meaning of.

Running as fast as I can inside my head, sweat pouring from my brow, breathing heavy,heart racing no muscles exerted, while soreness overwhelms all.

Talking a lot of crap, making very little sense. Take a walk with me, I swear it will start to take form before your eyes. I am a living creature, fading in and out every second that passes.

I am a being, moments from now, looking back at the weirdness of my very own words.