Last year, the California Supreme Court ordered the city of San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, but the fight over this issue rages on. In its most recent development, last week, Judge Richard A. Kramer of the San Francisco Superior Court ruled that the ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.
Most of the coverage on this issue has focused on arguments against legitimizing gay marriage from a conservative perspective and justifications for from a liberal viewpoint. However, there are deep divides that separate the left on this issue.
The economic, social and political consequences of legitimizing gay marriage are seen by many as, at best, furthering the assimilation of queer communities into mainstream society. At worst, many worry that acceptance of gay marriage without stipulations addressing many of the inherent problems with marriage in the United States in general, will only end up further victimizing the very people that the movement purports to protect.
Though the current debate has been framed by the media as a conflict between the accepted views of the left and the right, in truth, the left is deeply divided on the issue. Join us for a Café Society discussion on the debate within the left on the issues surrounding gay marriage.
Join us this week at Cafe Society to discuss the debate within the left.
This weeks articles:
Holy Matrimony
Special Guests:
The Public Square at the IHC welcomes Lisa Tonna, The Center on Halsted and Roberto Tijerina, Lambda Legal.
As a lesbian anti-violence activist Lisa Tonna, brings an array of passions and experiences to the table. Lisa has worked with: the homeless communities; sex workers; ex-offenders; HIV communities; women; youth; and currently works at The Center on Halsted in the capacity of Manager of the Anti-Violence Project, serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and HIV impacted communities, who have experienced violence or discrimination in their lives.
Lisa has taught a class on Multi-Culturalism at Jane Addams College of Social Work and facilitates anti- oppression training to groups and organizations. Lisa serves as board member at two organizations, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, and Global Goddess.
Through her business Ring of Fire Lisa, provides consultation and technical assistance to organizations; supports birthing women as a Doula; and serves her spiritual community as an ordained Priestess of the Goddess providing pastoral counseling and rituals through all transitions of life. Lisa’s goal and passion in life is to work towards creating a sustainable community, by means of dismantling oppression and creating new paradigms and ways of living.
Roberto Cesar Tijerina has been an activist for 17 years, with LGBT, disability, and immigrant rights as his three mainstays. He was a founding member of Questioning Youth Center, a not-for-profit social service agency serving the needs of suburban and rural LGBT youth.
He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Association of Latino Men for Action, which provides support services in Spanish for gay and bisexual Latino men. Professionally, Roberto continues his long history of nonprofit work by working full-time both for Lambda Legal as in their public education department and freelancing as a sign language interpreter.
For more informaiton, please contact Kristin Millikan at 312.422.5580.