A law for love, a particular e-mail and other notes

[misscam]

Today, as I typed this up, Norway passed its new marriage law. It means marriage is now gender neutral, and is between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman or a man and a man and all three are equal. The government called it a day in the sign of love.

The new law means in addition to the legal rights granted 'partnership', the gay marriage option Norway got over a decade ago, the following will now happen:

- Adoption rights are the same for hetero and gay couples.
- Artificial insemination is now an option for lesbian couples, same as it would for a hetero couple.
- The church now has a right to marry gay couples, but not a duty.
- Gay and hetero couples have the same right to marriage.
- Gay couples who got married via partnership option can choose to have it changed to marriage.

This law passed with the support of Labour, Socialist Left, Left and the Conservaties. In addition, the Centre Party 'freed' its representatives on this issue and some voted in favour. The Progress Party and the Christian People's Party opposed.

Today is history. While there have been vocal critics of the new law, especially from some religious circles, a majority of Norwegians support it. I support it. Today, I think a law was passed for good. For love.

And then I had this slightly weird e-mail exchange with someone I have no idea who is:

What Does King Harald V And Other Member Of The Royal Family Think About Gay Marrige.

And What Kind Of Power Do They Have? The Royal Family

Thank You [Name] USA

I

The Royal family doesn't really make political statements and have not on this issue, though given gay marriage is accepted by a majority of people in Norway it's very possible they are favourable. But they have no official opinion.

The power of the Royal family is only really ceremonial.

Camilla

I

One More Thing How Much Longer Will HM King Harond V Be In Power

I

Until he dies.

I

How Much Longer To You Think King Harald V Will Be In Office?

I

I can't predict when he'll die, so that's impossible to know. He is old now, but his father lived into his 90s. He could rule just another year, or two decades. It depends on his health.

Oooohkay.

In other notes and links:
- Huzzah, has sent One Life (or Five Visions of Death Laura Didn't Have, and One Life She Just Had) to beta. Please not be killing my inspiration any time soon, BSG? I love feeling urges to write again.
- New shiny icon!
- Sweden won their first Euro match. Go Sweden! There's a sentence you won't hear me repeat often.
- European fuel protests leave two dead. Ouch!
- Sugar Bush the Patriotic Costume Squirrel. You'll just have to see that one for yourself.
- A Lost - Battlstar Galactica comparison. Oohkay.
- From the flist: 20 Websites From Before the Internet was Invented

How's your Wednesday?

Comments

[visp.livejournal.com]

Well, huzzah for love and marriage.

[denorios.livejournal.com]

That's fantastic! Hurray for Norway! At least there's one country out there getting it right.

[clevermonikerr.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's awesome! I hope one day, we'll get ther!

[yavannie77.livejournal.com]

Go Norway!

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

w00t! Go Norway!

Also, weird emailer is creepy and weird.

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

Herregud, det høres ut som en av de merkelige amerikanerne på The Royal Forums. Det var en som nevnte at han håpet på at alle tronearvingene i de europeiske landene skulle overta tronen i hans livstid. (Nå var det gjerne ikke så absurd, da dette tydeligvis er en tenåring utifra den mentale postingsnivået, og monarkene i Europa stort sett ligger over 60 årsalderen...)

Og Yay for ny lov.

[theyellow-daisy.livejournal.com]

Congratulations Norway!! That's pretty wonderful.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Jaja, de har jo ikke noe eget monarki å fokusere på. Men hvorfor denne lurte på hva kongefamilien våre mente om homofilt ekteskap, har jeg ingen anelse om. Kanskje en motstander av det som lurte på å vi ville endre det når vi fikk ny konge?

Husker ikke en gang hvor gammel kongen vår er nå om dagen. Han er over 70, er han ikke?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Ah, but we're the 6th country to pass this sort of law, so we're not the first and we're not alone.

Times a'changing.

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

71, skulle jeg mene. Vi hadde jo de pene 70 årsfeiringene i fjor.

[qwercus.livejournal.com]

"- Sweden won their first Euro match. Go Sweden! There's a sentence you won't hear me repeat often".

and we've lost

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Ja, det stemmer det. Var vel det jeg vagt huska, siden jeg mente han var over 70.

Begynner å bli senil sjølv, tror jeg.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw. But you did do well in knocking out England, and there are still two more matches. Fingers crossed!

[bex245.livejournal.com]

Yeah, go Norway!! lol

Wow, weird emailer. Like, how long is your King gonna live?? WTF?! LOL.

Fic soon wehhey!! XD

*strokes pretty icon* :D

Yay for Sweden!! (Okay, just Freddie Ljungberg really... XD :P)

OMG I WANT THAT SQUIRREL!!! AHAHAHA.

WTF is with that BSG/Lost thing?! Like parallel between the island disappearing and Gaeta's leg disappearing?! Run that one past me again?! And Hurley and Laura... WTF?! *headdesk*

I had an exam today. Physics. It was okay. :)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I was totally WTF-ing over that e-mail. Like, how am I to know? What am I, the grim reaper?

*shows off more pretty icons*

The BSG/Lost thing seems to either have been thought up while someone was on crack, or someone was really short on ideas for the column that day. Take your pick ;)

I like Physics more now than when I went to school, but then again, now I'm not tested in it.

[bex245.livejournal.com]

LMAO. Are you? ;D

Heh. Pretty. XD

With that level of WTF-ery, I've gotta say BOTH. LOL.

I actually quite like Physics, but I'm a geek that way. :P

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Not unless my brain has gotten me a new job while I didn't pay attention.

I do like physics a lot now and read books on the subject voluntarily. But back in school, the teacher just sucked the joy out of it. Alas!

And yeah, I think you're right on that it's both. ;)

[wintergreen126.livejournal.com]

One More Thing How Much Longer Will HM King Harond V Be In Power

Until he dies.


How Much Longer To You Think King Harald V Will Be In Office?

I can't predict when he'll die...

oh gosh, that's hilarious. although, if you COULD predict death, that would be slightly freaky, but you could make quite the career out of it ;o)

if only the american government would pass a similar law. but we're too worried about the horrendous ramifications it would have on 'family values.' *rolls eyes*

here's hoping that bsg continues to inspire. have a good one :o)

[bex245.livejournal.com]

Anything's possible, I guess... :P

I think it's all rather interesting really. But, like I said, I'm a geek, so I would think that. LOL. It's funny; I hated my teacher at first and then she got pregnant and when she came back from maternity leave, she was suddenly really nice!! I think the baby mellowed her. LOL.

HAHA. Definitely both. :P

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Medium!Cam? That would just be scary.

Yeah, but see, we'd already had over a decade of gay marriage, just under another name. So we got used to the idea, seen that it hasn't ruined our society or some such propaganda.

Slow acceptance grows from just getting used to it, I think.

[everysecondtues.livejournal.com]

That's awesome and full of win. \o/

And huh, that's . . . an interesting e-mail exchange.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Maybe a break helped her too. But yeah, helps to have teachers that don't seem like they're out to make your life miserable.

Really, there is so much that is interesting to learn about and people still manage to suck all the joy out of learning. Hmpf.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

You know, it's funny. The US is supposed to be The advanced country in the world. We have democracy, freedom of speech and giver of peace to the rest of the world. And yet we still have our heads up our asses when it comes to things like this.

Also, the email was strange. I would have said the king would die at 120.

[bex245.livejournal.com]

It makes such a difference, I think, who your teacher is. I absolutely hated my english teacher this past years and the difference it made to my work ethic and my behaviour and love of the subject. Unbelievable. I was SO naughty in English. Never did any work, talked constantly, always arguing with my teacher. Because she was a TOTAL incopetant moron and just made me SO angry and couldn't control our class at all. At that is so unlike me; I am literally, like, perfect student in every other lesson (because of my geekiness, lol). She totally ruined english for me and I hate that because I love books, I love poetry, I love writing.... urgh.

[redpistolet.livejournal.com]

Cheers for Norway!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Yay for Norway!

[fannishnonsense]

Yay Norway!

[siraj.livejournal.com]

My Wednesday is going well! My grandparents have informed me they're going to pay my next month's rent, so that's US$395 I don't have to worry about for july, my first work week working part-time for Domino's pizza is done (ow-eth, my poor feet), and the next few days are slated to be GORGEOUS and wonderfully non-overcast. I think Amaterasu decided to be kind to me...

[mademoisellenon.livejournal.com]

I am envious. I'd like the same law to be passed here but it'll be a long time coming.

Why is every word in your correspondent's email capitalized? A whim?

[lady-rilwen.livejournal.com]

Well done to Norway.

Now I just wish Australia would follow suit. Well, maybe if it's clearly proven not to be the end of the world for Norway, campaigners here can convince the government it won't be the end of the world here either.

[chicklet73.livejournal.com]

*stands and applauds the new marriage law*

[qwercus.livejournal.com]

We'll see...

[(Anonymous)]

The "Progress Party" voted no.

I dig irony.

[mr-razorz.livejournal.com]

Dagnabbit, there I go again.

[sliven.livejournal.com]

Way to go, Norway!
I'm seriously starting to contemplate moving... ;D