Argentina Approves Same-Sex Marriage

Argentina today became the first country in Latin America to legalize gay marriage. The New York Times reports the law "will give gay people the same marital rights as heterosexuals, including adoption and inheritance rights."

Videos uploaded to YouTube show people celebrating in Buenos Aires after the legislature approved the measure.



User name: MsanchezTriangulo
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date uploaded: July 15
Event date: July 15
Views: 1
Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

Auditioning Against Same-Sex Marriage

With both Iowa and Vermont legalizing same-sex marriages this week, the topic is on the front page of the news right now. And the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for GLBT right, is taking an interesting approach to fighting its enemies in the battle over same-sex marriage. Yesterday, the HRC posted a television advertisement created by The National Organization for Marriage to its official YouTube channel. The video features a collection of straight Americans talking about how same-sex marriages affect and damage the quality of their lives and threaten America.

The HRC has strategically allowed two video responses to be associated with the anti-gay marriage commercial: two audition tapes that show a series of different actors in front of a green screen reciting the lines that are used in the commercial. Some actors stumble over their lines, while others smile awkwardly, and most are somewhat unconvincing. At times you can hear the directors giving notes to the actors who are auditioning.

Seeing the juxtaposition of the real ad and the audition tapes is interesting and very much changes the effect of the commercial.

But be the judge for yourself.

Watch the commercial:



Watch Audition Part 1:

Gay Marriage Stays in the YouTube Hot Seat

During the 2008 election, California's Proposition 8, a proposal to ban gay marriage in the state, was one of the most hotly debated items on the ballot. Both proponents and opponents of Prop 8 used YouTube liberally to get their message out to California voters.

Proposal 8 passed on November 4, but recently a new crop of YouTube videos have recently sprung up in an attempt to overturn it, including this one from the Courage Campaign:



This video, as well as those on the opposing side, have sparked vociferous comments, both for and against gay marriage. If these comments are any indication, it looks like this is a YouTube debate that's far from over.