"WE DO" and " I Do/ I Don't "

CONTRASTING VIEWS OF THE WINTER OF LOVE

Back in April, IndyBay.org reported that San Francisco's
Winter of Love
was beginning to create art.
The first products were photo exhibits, online and in real galleries.
[ http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/04/1676998.php ]

The next step, a photo-documentary book called
"WE DO: A Celebration of Gay and Lesbian Marriage",
debuts at noon on Thursday, June 24,
at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books,
601 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco (not far from SF City Hall).
[ http://www.bookstore.com ]
[ 415.441.6670 ]
Comedian and SF Supervisor Tom Ammiano cuts our
communal wedding cake.


Eventually we should see at least three anthologies of writings about the historic same-sex marry-ins of 2004, which happened mainly in San Francisco; in Portland, Oregon (Multnomah County); and throughout
Massachusetts.

One of these anthologies, titled "I Do/ I Don't", will include criticism as well as celebration. SF queer writer Sherilyn Connelly recently read her chapter at Modern Times bookstore.

Below, FYI, is part of the project's "CFS" (call for submissions -- you know, like the muezzin climbs to the top of the minaret, all dressed in black leather, and calls out, "Submit! Submit!"...?).

IMQO (in my queer opinion), it would be nice to see articulate discussions about the many forms which marriage has taken over the centuries, in various cultures, drawing especially on anthropology.
So far, of what little dissent I've read, the early (February?) writings by Zak Szymanski were quite interesting; while the Gay Shame manifesto was just a clutter of slogans.

Tortuga Bi LIBERTY,
for SUN of San Francisco
http://pages.prodigy.net/seniornude
SaveFreedom [at] yahoogroups.com
22 June 2004
..............

Edited excerpts from CFS for "I DO/ I DON'T: Queers on Marriage":


Ian Philips and Greg Wharton, editors
Suspect Thoughts Press, publisher
September 2004, publication date

[ DEADLINE, very soon: 4 July 2004 ]

In 2001, the Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex
marriage. (Denmark was the first to grant civil unions in 1989.)
Belgium soon followed the Dutch footsteps.
In 2003, several Canadian provinces legalized same-sex marriage.
For several weeks earlier this year, [ the City & County of] San Francisco issued legal [(?)] marriage licenses to 4,036 same-sex couples, including I Do/I Don't editors Ian Philips and Greg Wharton.
Many [(?)] other cities across the United States followed suit and began marrying couples, until being stopped by legal injunctions.
On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts began legally wedding same-sex couples.
George Bush has now stated he will back a constitutional amendment to ban these marriages permanently.
[Such an amendment will be debated in the U.S. Senate soon,
possibly on July 12.]

Everyone has an opinion, most of which aren't heard.
We want to hear yours.
I Do/I Don't will collect a diverse array of queer voices
on the subject of marriage.

Stars and ordinary Janes.
Saints and sinners.
Anarchists and CEOs.

Send us your poetry, prose, personal essays, nonfiction, interviews, vows, rants,love letters, sermons, photography, sketches, cartoons,
and/or cocktail napkin doodles.

Silly to serious.
In favor or against.
... [Yea] or nay, in between, neither,
or ... all of the above.
All opinions are valid and welcome.

20% of (publisher's net) sales will be donated to the following
organizations (5% to each):
ACLU;
National Center for Lesbian Rights;
Freedom to Marry;
and International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

- Written submissions can be new or previously published,
and should be under 2,000 words.

- Multiple visual submissions okay,
but each should be able to reproduce on a single page.

- The deadline for submissions is July 4, 2004.
This is the LAST possible
date to submit;
the sooner the better.

[.......]

- Submissions should be emailed to
gregw [at] suspectthoughts.com
with "I Do/IDon't" as the subject line.

[Writings may be] attached ... as Word documents,
or [included] in the body of the email.

Artwork should be attached in a low-resolution format.
Final artwork will need to be forwarded in a high-resolution version upon acceptance.

Include a 25-word author biography and complete contact information
including email, telephone, and mailing address.

- This is a closed call but please suggest any other voices you think
should be heard --- meaning send us a name and email for that voice.
[......]


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http://www.suspectthoughts.com/new.htm
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