BOOK REVIEW: Raven Black (Shetland Islands, #1) by Ann Cleeves

This is the first book in Ann Cleeves’ Shetland Islands series starring Inspector Jimmy Perez. The Shetland Islands are remote, sparsely populated islands north of Scotland and west of Norway that are part of the United Kingdom.

Raven Black begins with the discovery of a dead teenaged girl named Catherine. Almost a decade earlier another young girl named Catriona had disappeared and her body was never found. In both cases, a mentally challenged bachelor named Magnus Tait had been one of the last people to see the victim. Many people on the islands shunned him and there was a widespread belief he had gotten away with murder because no body had been found. When Catherine’s body is found they expect him to be arrested immediately.

Inspector Jimmy Perez is not so sure. The cases have some similarities but a lot of differences also. Both girls were parts of families who had moved to the Shetlands from “down south.” Both girls were considered independent and “high spirited.” Catherine was considered very intelligent by her teachers and popular in school. Ann Cleeves tells the story using first-person accounts from very many characters, including Catherine, her best friend Sally, Jimmy, Magnus and several others.

Raven Black is an atmospheric, psychological thriller about the effects of a violent crime in a very small community where everyone knows everything about their neighbors. However, newcomers arrive fairly often and try (and often fail) to be integrated into the community. Jimmy himself is from the community and went to the same schools as the murder victims but his family is from an even more remote island and they are clamoring for him to come home and stop this “police foolishness.”

The killer of the two girls (and the abductor of a third girl, another strong-willed outsider whose name begins with C) is revealed at the end, and it came as a complete and utter shock to me. That’s not that unusual as murder mystery novels go. However I think to maintain my interest in a series I need to be invested in the main character/detective and be intrigued/interested/amused by their sidekicks/colleagues. Jimmy Perez basically works alone. The setting of the book, in this remote small community IS the companion character. Sometimes if the setting is very unfamiliar that can provide a source of interest. Also one can be interested in a setting which is also very familiar. 

Unfortunately, Raven Black did not fully engage my interest. I’m somewhat surprised by this because I know the Shetland Islands mysteries have been adapted into a very popular BBC TV series. However, I doubt I’ll be continuing. There are so many other detective series I’m interested in making progress on, like Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan, Val McDermid’s Tony Hill/Carol Jordan and (of course) Stuart MacBride’s Logan McRae. Life’s too short to wade through books one does not connect with.

Title: Raven Black.
Author: Ann Cleeves.
Paperback: 374 pages.
Publisher: Minotaur Books.
Date Published: May 29, 2007.
Date Read: September 30, 2019.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★½☆  (3.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: B+ (3.33/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: B+.
IMPACT: B.
WRITING: B+.

BOOK REVIEW: The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1) by Val McDermid

The Mermaids Singing is the first book in the long-running mystery series written by Val McDermid which features  Dr. Tony Hill (a psychologist and criminal profiler) and Carol Jordan (police detective) as the main characters. The series has been adapted for British television as "Wire in the Blood" (the  title of the second book) which ran for six seasons. 

This first book is a surprisingly gory but excellent entry in the British police procedural genre. The primary distinguishing feature between this series and numerous others I have read in this genre (Peter Robinson, Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George all come to mine) is the chemistry between the leads (it doesn't seem to be romantic tension at this point, but I suspect that will change as the series continues). The dialogue is excellent, and we get first-person perspectives on the action from both Tony and Carol, which immediately illuminates how each views the other.

The main criminal in  The Mermaids Singing is a serial killer who is abducting and murdering men and dumping the bodies in the gay district of Bradfield, a fictional West Yorkshire city in the North of England. Mcdermid provides TMI (too much information) about the gory details of the vicious ways the serial killer dispatches his victims. Eventually, the reader gets access to the thoughts of the killer as well.

Two of the key character dynamics in The Mermaid Singing  are Tony's battle to have his work as a psychologist appreciated by the police and Carol's battle with ingrained sexism in the police force.

Overall, I was very impressed with the suspenseful nature of the plot and the level of details provided about the police activity in pursuit of the killer. Both Carol and Tony are very interesting characters and I look forward to reading more books featuring them.

Title: The Mermaids Singing.
Author: Val McDermid.
Paperback: 364 pages.
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperback.
Date Published: June 17, 2002.
Date Read: September 17, 2017.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★★ (5.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A (4.0/4.0).

PLOT: A.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A+.
WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham

Sleepyhead is the first book in the DI Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham. It is yet another British detective murder-mystery series, this time set in London, and has multiple similarities to many other British police procedurals by the likes of Ian Rankin (John Rebus), Stuart MacBride (Logan McRae), Robert Bryndza (Erica Foster), Adrian McKinty (Sean Duffy), Val McDermid (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan), Peter Robinson (Alan Banks) and Susie Steiner (Manon Bradshaw).

Of course the first thing these books have in common is the promotion system (Detective Constable, Detective Sergeant, Detective Inspector, Detective Chief Inspector, etc). Another aspect these books have in common is a protagonist who either has a colorful past or problematic character traits (and in many cases, they have both). A third common feature all of these British police procedural mystery books have is the frequent consumption of copious amounts of alcohol and tea.

Tom Thorne definitely falls into the category of a main character who has a colorful past and problematic personality. When we (the reader) meet Tom in Sleepyhead, there are cryptic references to the Calvert case, apparently an old case which clearly still haunts and troubles him. When we find out about his latest case, which involves the murder of multiple women by someone using a similar modus operandi (stalking a single woman, being invited in to their abode, injecting them with a very specialized anesthetic and then inducing a stroke, which in all but one case is fatal) we learn that Tom has a reputation for being somewhat of a lone wolf and a loose cannon. Even though Tom acts on his hunches a lot, he’s not always wrong. For example, he figures out that the victim who survived the latest attack is not a failure by the serial killer; the “locked-in” state is what the perpetrator wanted to happen. It was the losses of life that were unintentional.

The problematic aspects of Tom’s personality reveal themselves pretty extensively as the story precedes. He quickly latches on to a theory of the case and identifies a prime suspect for which there is almost no confirming evidence, a fact none of his superior officers will let him ignore. He enters into a romantic (and sexual) relationship with a very close friend and confidant of this suspect. When the perpetrator (and target of his investigation) starts directly interacting with Tom through notes and a physical attack Tom gets himself re-assigned to another unit but continues his investigation (focused on the suspect he is convinced is guilty despite the absence of evidence). 

One notable feature of Sleepyhead is that the writing is significantly more lyrical than what is typical in the British police procedural/murder mystery genre in my experience.

In some ways I think this attention to style over substance is a problem sometimes. For example, I felt that there were several key action scenes in Sleepyhead where instead of clearly stating what action was occurring, the text actually obscured what was going on and this forced me to read the passage more than once.

Another notable feature of Sleepyhead is the inclusion of a first person perspective from one of the early victims of the perpetrator (the one who survived but now is “locked-in” her body with no control over it except for the ability to blink).

Overall, I found Sleepyhead to be quite compelling, although I was somewhat repelled by Tom Thorne’s character and often annoyed by the ornate nature of the prose at times. However, the cleverness of the plot and the deployment of the suspense and mystery elements were impressive enough that I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the books in this popular series.

Title: Sleepyhead.
Author: Mark Billingham.
Paperback: 432 pages.
Publisher: Avon Books.
Date Published: May 1, 2003.
Date Read: March 15, 2018.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★☆  (4.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: B+.
WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: Police At The Station And They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty

Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly is the  sixth (and perhaps last?) book in the Inspector Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty. It is quite a corker, and probably the best in this quirky mystery thriller series set in Northern Ireland in the 1980s when "the Troubles" were at their peak. It is a good sign about the quality of these books that I had previously  said that the fifth book in the series, Rain Dogs, was clearly the best. (It was on my list of favorite books read in 2016.) The Duffy books just keep getting better and better!

The book begins with a scene where our protagonist is in such mortal peril that the reader is confronted with reality that this might be the end of the road for our favorite Catholic detective with the snobbish music tastes who has been trying to solve murders in a setting where religious factions (Catholics and Protestants) are frequently torturing and killing each other (and the forces trying to maintain order) with abandon.

However, after beginning with a literal bang, the next chapter is set in some unspecified amount of time in the past where we discover that Sean is living (in sin) with the mother of his months-old baby girl, Emma, and generally bored out of his mind with no murders to solve when a very strange one falls into his lap. (A drug dealer is shot to death with a crossbow, and it's the second time in as many days someone has been shot with such a medieval weapon.)

One feature of the Sean Duffy thrillers is that the plots get unbelievably complicated and they entangle people at highest levels of British and Irish society that one would not think that a local copper in a small suburb of Belfast (Carrickfergus) would have any chance of interacting with, let alone collaring. Another feature is the deployment of mystifying (to American ears and eyes) of Irish slang which gives the series a sense of verisimilitude and exoticism which is both appealing and off-putting (simultaneously!) The amusing titles of the books apparently come from lines from Tom Waits songs.

In Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly the fine line Duffy has been walking as a Catholic member of the occupying British police force (the Royal Ulster Constabulary) becomes untenable as many mutual enemies (such as the Catholic IRA, the Protestant paramilitaries and the British military establishment) decide the time has come to eliminate their common irritant, our "fenian" [an anti-Catholic slur] hero.

Mckinty pulled off an interesting bit of fore-shadowing by giving the reader a chance to grapple with Duffy's demise in the beginning of the novel before resolving the question of his main character's mortality in a way which is ultimately satisfying. (Yes, I am being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers.)

All of the above being said, if this is the final Duffy book I will not be sad or mad as I think McKinty has managed to bring Duffy through very many improbably survivable situations before and I have enjoyed the journey as long as it lasted. It is hard to see how McKinty could (or can) continue to sustain the increasingly high quality of the Duffy series if it were to continue. However, we will just have to wait and see!

Title: Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly
Author: Adrian McKinty.
Paperback: 322 pages.
Publisher: Seventh Street Books.
Date Published: March 7, 2017.
Date Read: April 15, 2017.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★★  (5.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A (4.0/4.0).
PLOT: A.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A+.

BOOK REVIEW: The Boy on the Bridge

Overall, I think The Boy on the Bridge is a better book than the original The Girl With All The Gifts. Sadly, since it begins in a time frame that is 10 years before that book and includes an epilogue that occurs 10 years afterwards, it seems unlikely that there will be a 3rd book set in a world where the Cordyceps pathogen leads directly to the death of 99.9% of all humans.

As with most post-apocalyptic fiction, the key feature of this book is depicting human behavior in the context of heightened significance due to the raised stakes of the survival of humanity itself after a human level extinction event.

In The Boy on the Bridge there is a cast of just ten named characters, with really 3 or 4 taking center stage. But in actuality the story really revolves around Stephen Greaves, the titular character who is an autistic genius, along with Rina Khan, a medical doctor who is part of a group attempting to find out what happened to a previous delegation and is trying to follow up on the search for a cure to the Cordyceps plague which has almost extinguished humanity and has almost certainly ended human civilization as we know it. The delegation is in a modified tank known as the Rosalind Franklin (or Rosie for short) and has a staff which is half military and half scientific.

The relationship between Stephen and Rina and their interactions with the other members of their mission as they make discoveries about the ways in which the pathogen is evolving and is central to the plot. Additionally, the crazy ways in which humans will not cease to put their petty self-interests ahead of the needs of the many (in most circumstances) is another key feature of the story.

Overall The Boy on the Bridge is extremely suspenseful as huge and important questions are raised (Will the group survive? Who will die next? Is humanity doomed?) and mostly answered by it's satisfying conclusion.

Definitely 4.5 stars on the Goodreads scale. 

Title: The Boy on the Bridge (The Girl With All The Gifts, #2).
Author: M.R. Carey.
Paperback: 400 pages.
Publisher: Orbit.
Date Published: May 2, 2017.
Date Read: October 17, 2017.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★ (4.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).
PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: B+.
WRITING: A.

Marriage Equality Goes Into Effect In Scotland!

Marriage equality has officially come to Scotland, as today is the first date that people who were previously in registered partnerships can have them converted into legal marriages, the BBC reports.

The law on same-sex marriages has already changed in England and Wales.
The change in Scotland comes as a survey revealed a huge rise in support for same-sex marriage over the past 12 years.
More than two-thirds of people (68%) agreed that gay couples should have the right to marry, according to the figures from the Social Attitudes Survey, which tracks public opinions on a range of subjects.
The figure compares with just two-fifths of the public (41%) in 2002.
The 2014 survey suggested fewer than a fifth (17%) of Scots were against same-sex marriage, compared to 29% in 2002.
Younger people were more likely to believe gay couples should be allowed to wed than older Scots, with 83% of 18 to 24-year-olds in favour compared to 44% of those aged 65 and above.

Hat/tip to Joe Jervis

SURVEY: 16% Of Britons Report Same-Sex Sexual Contact

Joe Jervis reports on a British sex survey conducted by The Guardian newspaper. He focuses on the report that 16% of respondents said that they had had "any sexual contact with someone of the same sex" (18% of women and 15% of men) while 92% of respondents declared that they were heterosexual (4% homosexual and 4% bisexual).

Do we have any similar research being conducted here in the United States? I wonder how the numbers would be different (and the same)? The survey was conducted in July 2014 of 1052 adults in theUnited Kingdom.

Interestingly, the survey reports that among the youngest cohorts of respondents there was more same-sex sexual contact (22% among those aged 16-24 and 26% among those aged 25-34) while a whopping 21% of the youngest cohort self-declaring themselves to be homosexual or bisexual, compared to the overall percentage of 8% in the larger sample.

Go check out the survey results yourself. I thought one of the most interesting results was that 79% of all men said they were "happy with the size of [their] penis" (which is down from 86% which was the result back in 2008!).

Do you think reults would be dramatically different in the USA?

Marriage Equality Begins In England and Wales!

Marriages have begun in England and Wales as of midnight on March 29th. Prime Minister David Cameron celebrates by writing in the nation's preeminent LGBT periodical, Pink News:

This weekend is an important moment for our country. For the first time, the couples getting married won’t just include men and women – but men and men; and women and women. After all the campaigning – not least by readers of PinkNews – we will at last have equal marriage in our country. Put simply, in Britain it will no longer matter whether you are straight or gay – the State will recognise your relationship as equal. 

This is something that has been very important to me. I have been so lucky to find the most incredible lifelong partner in Sam and our marriage has been a very special part of the commitment we have made to each other. Of course any marriage takes work, requires patience and understanding, give and take – but what it gives back in terms of love, support, stability and happiness is immeasurable. That is not something that the State should ever deny someone on the basis of their sexuality. When people’s love is divided by law, it is the law that needs to change. 

The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are. It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality. It clearly says ‘you are equal’ whether straight or gay. That is so important in trying to create an environment where people are no longer bullied because of their sexuality – and where they can realise their potential, whether as a great mathematician like Alan Turing, a star of stage and screen like Sir Ian McKellen or a wonderful journalist and presenter like Clare Balding.

Congratulations, Britannia!

Marriage Equality In England and Wales Goes In Effect Today

Good news from "across the pond"! Marriage equality in England and Wales has now gone into effect. And the Queen just gave her royal assent for Scotland's marriage equality law.

Pink News reports:

The bulk of same-sex marriage legislation came into effect at midnight, meaning couples who have entered into same-sex marriages overseas are now recognised as married. 

Before today, same-sex couples who got married overseas had their marriages treated as a civil partnership in England and Wales, but the Equalities office says from today “they will instead be recognised as being married”. 

Unwed couples still have to wait until March 29 before getting married, as new marriages require a 16 day notice period, but they can now declare their intent to marry. 

However, couples who have already entered into civil partnerships in the UK have to wait until later this year before they can convert them to marriages.

Jolly good show, what what!

Scotland Passes Marriage Equality Bill, Country #18!

As I blogged about 18 months ago, the Scottish Parliament has given final approval (by a lopsided vote of 105 to 18) to a bill that will legalize marriage for same-sex couples in the country later this year, becoming the 18th nation in the world to do so.

The BBC reports:

MSPs voted by 105 to 18 in favour of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill.
The Scottish government said the move was the right thing to do but Scotland's two main churches were opposed to it. 

[...] 

The first same-sex weddings in England and Wales will take place from 29 March, in the wake of legislation already passed by the Westminster parliament. 

In Scotland, same-sex couples currently have the option to enter into civil partnerships, but SNP ministers brought forward their Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill, saying the move was an important step for equality. 

[...] 

Mr Neil said passing the bill meant "a historic day in the history of the Scottish Parliament", which received the front-bench backing of Labour's Jackie Baillie and Conservative Jackson Carlaw. 

Gay rights organisations, including the Equality Network and Stonewall Scotland, and a range of other groups, have supported the legislation.

Congratulations to Scotland! Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson responded:

With the freedom to marry bill clearing its final hurdle in Scotland today, same-sex couples can finally share in the freedom to marry alongside their neighbors in England and Wales. Today’s win comes after a rich and extensive debate, and after an overwhelming victory in its previous parliamentary vote. Freedom to Marry looks forward from afar to seeing the first Scottish marriages performed in autumn; and will continue working along the Roadmap to Victory needed to ensure that the United States joins them on the right side of history.

18 and counting...

QUEER QUOTE: Queen Elizabeth Pardons Alan Turing

Great news! Openly gay genius Alan Turing, widely regarded as the Father of Computer Science, World War II hero for breaking the German's code, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, has had his conviction of 'gross indecency' (for having sex with another man in 1952) pardoned by the Queen of England.

Queen Elizabeth said:

"[We are] graciously pleased to extend Our Grace and Mercy unto the said Alan Mathison Turing and to grant him Our Free Pardon posthumously in respect of the said convictions."

It's about time!

80% Of British Commonwealth Countries Have Sodomy Laws

While progress on LGBT equality is accelerating at at an amazing pace in the United States we should not grow complacent about how homosexuality is treated around the world. For example, a new report indicates that 41 of 53 members of the Commonwealth declare homosexuality to be illegal.

Homosexuality is illegal in 41 out of the 53 Commonwealth countries, a report released on Monday reveals. Despite this, the forthcoming Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Sri Lanka has elected not to discuss the issue of anti-gay discrimination. Commissioned by the Kaleidoscope Human Rights Foundation and compiled by LGBT activists throughout the Commonwealth, the report calls for Commonwealth countries to repeal anti-gay legislation, with an immediate moratorium on enforcement. 

“If you look at the world as a whole, around about 40% of nations have state-sponsored homophobia,” said Kaleidoscope’s spokesman, Douglas Pretsell. “Half of those – about 54% – are in the Commonwealth. If you look at the rest of the world not inside the Commonwealth, it’s only 24.5% – so the Commonwealth has a big problem. “These are laws that make it illegal to be gay.”

The other half and I visted two of these Commonwealth countries earlier this year (Barbados and Grenada) and I can confirm to you that homosexuality may be illegal but there is most definitely homosexuality there!
Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Celebrity Friday: Ben Whishaw Is Gay (and Partnered)

You have probably noticed British actor Ben Whishaw in smaller parts like Q in the last James Bond movie Skyfall or as a troubled (but sexy) gay man in the Wachowskis' film adaptation of Cloud Atlas.

He was born on October 14, 1980 and at 33 he is a an up-and-coming actor just starting to get noticed by Hollywood. So it is exciting (and encouraging) that he has decided to come out as an openly gay man: he announced that he is in a civil partnership with Australian composer Mark Bradshaw.

Congratulations, Ben!

British Parliament Completes Passage Of Marriage Equality Bill!

Woo hoo! The British Parliament has completed its work on the marriage equality bill with final passage happening late Monday Tuesday fternoon. The last step for the measure to become law is Royal Assent.

Pink News reports

The equal marriage bill was passed in the House of Commons, and as all amendments added in the House of Lords were accepted, it will not be required to go back to the Lords.

[...]

The publisher of PinkNews.co.uk and Out4Marriage founder Benjamin Cohen said this evening: “We are delighted that after five years of editorial campaigning and just three years after we received the support of the three main party leaders, Parliament has finally approved same-sex marriage.

“Giving gay couples the right to marry will make Britain a more tolerant, open and welcoming place to live in and significantly increase the life prospects of so many people. It is absolutely fantastic that this change in the law, almost uniquely, was proposed by a Conservative prime minister and his Liberal Democrat Deputy with the support of the Labour party leader. Sometimes politicians can work together for the common good and this is a stunning example of this.”

Congratulations to England and Wales! Apparently, same-sex couples will be able to start getting married sometime next year and couples in civil partnerships will be able to convert them into marriages at that time.

UPDATE WED 07/17/2013 10:50AM EDT
Royal Assent has been given, so marriage equality is the law of the land in England and Wales!

2013 WIMBLEDON: Andy Murray Wins!!

As I predicted, Andy Murray of Scotland won his 2nd major title at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships by defeating World #1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-4 7-5 6-4 in 3 hours and 9 minutes, becoming the first British man in 77 years to win his country's major tennis championship.

More later...

House of Lords Advances Marriage Equality With 390-148 Vote

Good news from across the pond! Marriage equality is almost certainly going to become law in Great Britain by the end of the year thanks to a vote in the House of Lords rejecting a poison pill amendment by the vote of 148-390, demonstrating overwhelming support for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

The Guardian reports:

The Lords voted by 390 votes to 148 to reject an attempt by Lord Dear, a crossbencher, to defeat the bill at second reading. It is very unusual for the Lords to block a bill at second reading and some peers may have been voting against Dear because they were opposed to the idea of the Lords trying to obstruct legislation in this way, not because they were great supporters of the bill. But the size of the majority means the bill must now be certain to become law. However, it is still likely that attempts will be made to amend it in the Lords, in particular to strengthen the protection available to churches who do not want to conduct gay weddings. Lady Stowell, a government whip, told peers in her wind-up speech that the government would not necessarily object to amendments of this kind.

Additionally, the primary opponent to the legislation, the Church of England has announced that in light of the overwhelming support for marriage equality in both Houses of Parliament they will cease their opposition and concentrate on improving the bill instead of stopping it.

“Both Houses of Parliament have now expressed a clear view by large majorities on the principle that there should be legislation to enable same-sex marriages to take place in England and Wales. It is now the duty and responsibility of the Bishops who sit in the House of Lords to recognise the implications of this decision and to join with other Members in the task of considering how this legislation can be put into better shape. 

“The concerns of many in the Church, and in the other denominations and faiths, about the wisdom of such a move have been expressed clearly and consistently in the Parliamentary debate. For the Bishops the issue now is not primarily one of protections and exemptions for people of faith, important though it is to get that right, not least where teaching in schools and freedom of speech are concerned. 

“The Bill now requires improvement in a number of other key respects, including in its approach to the question of fidelity in marriage and the rights of children. If this Bill is to become law, it is crucial that marriage as newly defined is equipped to carry within it as many as possible of the virtues of the understanding of marriage it will replace. Our focus during Committee and Report stages in the coming weeks and months will be to address those points in a spirit of constructive engagement.”

Rule, Britannia!

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

UK Marriage Equality Bill Now To House Of Lords

A marriage equality bill passed its 3rd (and final) reading in the British House of Commons this week by a vote of 366-161. According to an official summary of the legislation written by the Government, if it becomes law it will:

• provide that same sex couples can get married in England and Wales;
• provide that such marriages are to be treated the same as marriages between a man and a woman in England and Wales;
• permit marriage of same sex couples by way of a civil ceremony;
• permit marriage of same sex couples according to religious rites and usages where a religious organisation has opted in to that process (with the exception of the Church of England and the Church in Wales);
• provide a process by which the Church in Wales can request and obtain legislative change to allow marriages of same sex couples according to their rites if they wish to do so;
• provide that there will be no obligation or compulsion on religious organisations or individuals to carry out or participate in a religious marriage ceremony of a same sex couple;
• provide protection under equality law for religious organisations and individuals who do not wish to marry same sex couples in a religious ceremony. 

The bill is now before the House of Lords, where it passed its first reading (equivalent to introduction) by voice vote and will have it second reading on June 3 with committee actions on June 17 and June 19. It is expected that heterosexual supremacists will try to derail the bill by getting unacceptable "poison pill" amendments added to the text of the legislation. However, it is possible that the British government can ignore any actions by the House of Lords by invoking the  Parliament Act.

New Zealand: 13th Country To Enact Marriage Equality

As expected, New Zealand beat out France to become the 13th country in the world to enact marriage equality into law with the 77-44 Parliamentary passage of a law  that says "marriage means the union of 2 people, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity."

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

New Zealand parliament has voted to make same-sex marriage legal.  

MPs and those in the public gallery broke into applause and cheered as it was announced the vote passed with 77 votes to 44. They then broke into song. 

After a two-hour debate, MPs were able to have their say on the Marriage Equality Bill.  

MPs from both sides of the House lined up to hug the bill's sponsor, Louisa Wall. 

She, National MP Tau Henare and Green MP Kevin Hague were presented with flowers.  

Those opposed to the bill quietly left the public gallery. 

The French parliament will finish work on its marriage equality bill next Tuesday, and the British House of Lords has a pending marriage equality bill it should pass by the end of the year.

Hat/tip to Rex Wockner

GRAPHIC: Countries With Marriage Equality

With the passage of marriage equality in Uruguay, the above graphic is floating around the Interwebs. It is very soon to be out of date, because in addition to the imminent case of France, Great Britain will almost certainly enact marriage equality by the end of the year.

Queer Quote: Scottish Cardinal Confesses Sexual Sins

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, and one of the most prominent homophobes in Great Britain, suddenly resigned his post recently, leaving the country without a cardinal to represent them in the next conclave to select the next Pope. O'Brien's resignation came after the circulation of multiple anonymous accusations of improper sexual conduct between the cardinal (who was also an archbishop) and at least three priests. O'Brien denied the charges at the time but recently released this statement:

"In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me havebecome public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led meto contest them.
However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have beentimes that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of meas a priest, archbishop and cardinal.
To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness.
To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise.
I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no furtherpart in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland."

I think we'll take that as today's Queer Quote, shall we? O'Brien's case is stunning for its sheer hypocrisy, because he was proud to be the face and voice of the primary opposition to the marriage equality bill currently working its way through the British Parliament, calling marriage equality “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right” while all the time he was a gay man who had sex with men himself, men who were presumably under his authority, since they were Catholic priests and he was the top prelate in all of Great Britain.

That a virulent homophobe turns out to homosexual is no longer a surprise, it is almost a cliche. After all, for most people homosexuality is not a top issue of concern. So when someone is so vocally homophobic it is often motivated by a burning desire to eliminate some part of their own identity, or to try to be so anti-gay that no one would ever dare to think that such a person could be gay themselves. But a long history in gay activism has shown me that obsession with homosexuality is typically limited to homosexual, either openly so or not.