Tag: gay marriage

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Tony Perkins gets fact checked

Tony Perkins, the president of the hate-group Family Research Council, said on CBS’ Face the Nation a few days after the SCOTUS rulings on marriage equality that wedding vendors have already been “forced” to serve same-sex couples.

“We’re already seeing bakers and florists and photographers forced to participate in same-sex marriages under the threat of law and in some cases even jail. I can’t think of anything that’s more un-American than that. … “

Host Bob Schieffer responded: “How is it that bakers and florists are being forced to participate in this? I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying here.”

So the fact-checking website PolitiFact did some research to see how many vendors have actually gone to jail for not “participating in same-sex marriages.”  The answer will probably NOT surprise you:

After the Supreme Court rulings about gay marriage, Perkins said, “We’re already seeing bakers and florists and photographers forced to participate in same-sex marriages under the threat of law and in some cases even jail.”

We didn’t find cases where people were forced to participate against their will. However, if vendors refuse service, there are consequences. There are 21 states that forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation. Vendors who refuse service there could face legal actions and fines.

The “jail” part of Perkins’ claim is an exaggeration. We couldn’t find any evidence that a vendor had been sent to jail or that any legal authority had threatened jail time. In some states, if a business owner loses an anti-discrimination case and refuses to comply with an order, the owner could face jail, but we found no evidence of that ever happening. One state, Colorado, specifically took action to remove the threat of jail.

Read the whole report at PolitiFact

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Civil unions are now officially NOT equal to marriage

The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration will not extend federal-worker benefits to domestic partners under the recent Supreme Court ruling that repealed part of the Defense of Marriage Act, meaning the government will treat civil unions differently than legal same-sex marriages.

And so, couples who are not legally married “will remain ineligible for most federal benefits programs.” However, any existing benefits provided to domestic partners will remain intact, OPM said.

That being said, same sex couples living anywhere in the U.S. will qualify for federal-employee benefits as long as they hold marriage licenses from any of the 13 states that recognize same-sex marriage, as well as from the District of Columbia, which has also legalized such unions.

Sounds like bad news for folks with civil unions, but there’s a bright side.

Civil unions were created as the “separate but equal” answer to same-sex marriage after the passage of DOMA.  Since civil unions don’t hold federal status, clearly they don’t come close to “equal.”  Such inequality could help four states (Hawaii, Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey which currently offer civil unions) move towards marriage equality.

For example, in New Jersey, the state Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples deserve complete equality, so civil unions offered there are now a violation of the state’s constitution.

 (source)

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Ohio: Former GOP Attorney General Jim Petro supports marriage equality

Jim Petro, former Attorney General for Ohio, said Monday that he supports an effort to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, contending the prohibition fosters intolerance and creates a roadblock to diversity.

The Ohio Republican says banning same-sex marriage sends a bad message to companies that might look to hire employees who could be LGBT:

Ohio’s economic well-being “will depend on its welcoming nature,” Petro said at a news conference with officials from FreedomOhio, the group collecting signatures to put the issue on the Nov. 2014 ballot. “More and more public officials will recognize the need for true equality.”

Petro said when he was asked to support gay marriage, he “quickly and without hesitation said ‘I’m all for it.’ ” He said he will be active in the 2014 campaign and hopes more Republicans join him

385,245 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters from at least 44 of 88 counties on a petition by July 3, 2014, to qualify for next year’s general election ballot.

Ohio passed it’s constitutional amendment, which limits marriage to one man and one woman, in 2004 by 62 percent of Ohio voters.

(via Columbus Dispatch)

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Did Costa Rica just legalize marriage equality?

In Costa Rica, this past week, the national legislature approved a bill that it seems “accidentally” legalized civil unions or marriage for gay couples.

Here’s the language that was passed:

“The right to recognition without discrimination contrary to human dignity, social and economic effects of domestic partnerships that constitute publicly, notoriously unique and stable, with legal capacity for marriage for more than three years”

After her election in 2010, President Laura Chinchilla declared her continued opposition to same-sex marriage, but said that Costa Rico should move forward on some legal recognition for gay couples. Most expected the President to veto the bill and that it would be rewritten.

Now, she has signed this new law.

“We’re going to go forward and will sign this law. We understand that the debate is over how some interpret the law and this alone is not sufficient for the executive to veto the law,” Chinchilla told reporters.

The president added that the only members of government equipped to interpret the law are judges and lawmakers. Costa Rica would be the first country in Central America to approve same-sex civil unions if the provision’s legal interpretation holds up in court according to the Tico Times.

(via Queerty)

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Arkansas: Gay couple file lawsuit for marriage equality

Arkansas couple files lawsuit for marriage equality:

Several LGBT couples have taken a stand against Arkansas Amendment 83, saying that the amendment denies them the benefits and privileges given to married heterosexual couples.

The lawsuit filed against the state of Arkansas declares that while the US Supreme Court recognized marriage as one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ the Arkansas Constitution prevents gay marriage from being recognized. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said the amendment is unconstitutional and violates their fundamental rights.

“These are the constitutional arguments to make,” said University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law Professor Terri Beiner. “Now, whether they’ll be successful or not, we’ll just have to wait to see what the courts do with it.”

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New Jersey lawmakers to attempt override of marriage equality veto by Gov. Christie

(image via Memeographs)

New Jersey’s Star-Ledger reports:

The state’s top Democratic lawmakers today urged their Republican counterparts to “vote their conscience” to legalize same-sex marriage, but said some GOP lawmakers won’t do this because they don’t want to cross Gov. Chris Christie.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he will hold a vote to override Christie’s veto of a same-sex marriage bill that passed last year, noting that thousands of gay couples in New Jersey will be ineligible for federal benefits unless lawmakers act soon.

But first, Sweeney said, at least a few Republicans have to change their no votes to yes. The Senate president said Christie has intimidated GOP lawmakers, claiming some have privately admitted they would like to change their votes to allow same-sex marriage.

To quash Christie’s veto, Democrats have to muster three more votes in the Senate and 12 more in the Assembly to reach the required two-thirds majority.

(via JMG)

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Marriage equality support hits record high in USA

Support for same-sex marriage in the United States has hit a record high just days after landmark US Supreme Court rulings on the issue, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to a survey published by USA Today,  55 percent of participants versus 40 percent said they believed same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid, with couples granted the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The only two demographic groups where a majority remained opposed to same-sex marriage were Republicans (68 percent) and people over the age of 65 (51 percent).

The poll of 1,003 adults was carried out between June 27-30 by Princeton Survey Research Associates, with a margin of error of 3.6 points either way.

(source)

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Rally in Las Vegas to celebrate marriage equality victories

photo credit: Anthony Pecora

Under a clear blue sky in 105 degree heat,  Nevada LGBT leaders held a rally – part celebration, part battle cry – at the fab new Gay & Lesbian Community Center, following Supreme Court rulings Wednesday that shot down DOMA and Prop 8.

Hosted by Las Vegas’ favorite news anchor, Chris Saldana, community leaders and allies took to the stage to cheer the day and point to the battles ahead.

While Nevada doesn’t allow same-sex marriage currently, the ruling opens the door for questions about the protections of rights for same-sex couples here in the Silver State.  In the last legislative session, both the Assembly and the Senate approved SJR13, the first step to repeal the same-sex marriage ban and give the rights of marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples of Nevada.

In attendance were Chris Miller (co-chair of LGBTQ Coalition), Merek Bute (president of AFAN), Tod Story (ACLU of Nevada), Assemblyman James Healey, Sen. James Parks, Assemblywoman Michele Fiore (only GOP vote for marriage equality bill SJR13 this past legislative session), Sen. Pat Spearman, Assemblyman Paul Aizley, Sen. Ruben Kihuen, Sen. Justin Jones, and Assemblyman Andrew Martin (co-sponsor of SJR13).

Over and over, LGBT leaders and allies sent the message: “The fight for same-sex marriage is not over. The fight for equality is not over. And we need you.”

Rally host Chris Saldana gets the rally started

The crowd celebrates the day

Openly gay Assemblyman James Healy addresses the crowd

GOP Assemblywoman and ally Michele Fiore and her lesbian mom take the stage

Ryan Lyons of Le Reve and Broadway Bares shares a breather in the heat with Chris Saldana
Thanks for the beef cake, boys.

 Openly gay Sen. David Parks

Openly lesbian Sen. Pat Spearman