Tag: gay marriage

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Frank Bruni for New York Times: “Dear President Clinton”

“Dear President Clinton, 

What a year you’ve had, the kind that really burnishes a legend. At the Democratic National Convention, on the campaign trail, in speeches aplenty and during interviews galore, you spoke eloquently about what this country should value, and you spoke unequivocally about where it should head. Such a bounty of convictions, such a harvest of words, except for one that’s long overdue: Sorry.

“Where’s your apology for signing the Defense of Marriage Act? And why, amid all the battles you’ve joined, and with all the energy you’ve been able to muster, haven’t you made a more vigorous case for same-sex marriage, especially in light of your history on this issue? You fret about your legacy, as any president would. For turning a blind eye to the butchery in Rwanda, you struggled through a mea culpa of sorts, and after Barack Obama seemed to lavish higher praise on Ronald Reagan than on you, you seethed.

“Well, DOMA, which says that the federal government recognizes only marriages of a man and a woman, is one of the uglier blemishes on your record, an act of indisputable discrimination that codified unequal treatment of gay men and lesbians and, in doing so, validated the views of Americans who see us as lesser people. If our most committed, heartfelt relationships don’t measure up, then neither do we. If how we love is suspect, then so is who we are. No two ways to interpret that. No other conclusion to be drawn.

[snip]

“I was sloppy at the start. What I and many others want most from you isn’t really an apology. It’s full membership — and, better yet, leadership — in a movement that’s headed inexorably in the right direction, with or without you.” – Frank Bruni, writing for the New York Times.

Read the full essay here.

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Maryland: Same-sex couples can marry Jan. 1, 2013

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler said on Thursday same-sex couples can begin to marry in the state on Jan. 1.

He wrote in a 19-page opinion that clerks can begin to issue marriage licenses to gays and lesbians as soon as Dec. 6, as long as they don’t take effect until the same-sex marriage law takes effect at the start of the new year. A 1999 law states a marriage license is not valid until 6 a.m. on the second calendar day after a clerk issues it.

Gansler concluded this requirement does not “expressly prohibit licenses becoming effective after that time.”

“Although there is a legal reason why same-sex couples cannot be licensed to marry before midnight on Jan. 1, 2013…, there is no such legal reason why they should not be licensed to marry at any time after the moment the law takes effect,” he wrote.
 
The same-sex marriage law voters approved by a 52-48 percent margin earlier this month is scheduled to take effect on a legal holiday when clerks’ offices are typically closed. It was previously believed the earliest a same-sex couple would have been able to legally marry under Maryland law was 6 a.m. on Jan. 4.

(via Washington Blade)

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Nevada: Federal judge upholds gay marriage ban

A federal judge in Nevada has rejected a lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal on behalf of eight gay couples challenging the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

On Thursday, Chief Judge Robert C. Jones, of the U.S. District Court in Nevada, said the state can limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

In its suit, Lamba Legal charged that Nevada’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and relegates same-sex couples “to only a second-class status.”

Jones, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws does not “prohibit … the People of the State of Nevada from maintaining statutes that reserve the institution of civil marriage to one-man–one-woman relationships.”

“Homosexual persons may marry in Nevada, but like heterosexual persons, they may not marry members of the same sex. That is, a homosexual man may marry anyone a heterosexual man may marry, and a homosexual woman may marry anyone a heterosexual woman may marry,” he wrote.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs signaled that the case will likely be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court.

“This is not the end of this fight,” said a spokesperson for Lambda Legal. “We will appeal and continue to fight for these loving couples, who are harmed by Nevada’s law barring marriage for same-sex couples.”

“We are confident this ruling will be overturned on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Lamda Legal, in a statement.

(source)

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Video: Dawn of a New Day for Marriage

Morgan Freeman narrates this new second commercial for the Human Rights Campaign.

The clip will be aired during the Sunday morning news shows.

Text of the clip:
“America stands at the dawn of a new day,” he says as images of women’s suffrage and Martin Luther King Jr leading the Million Man March flash across the screen. Just as people did during those civil rights fights, we must now all come together to support our gay and lesbian comrades.

“Now, across our country, we’re standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love,” Freeman says. “And, with historic victories for marriage, we’ve delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back, but our journey has just begun.”

For more info on how to get involved:  http://www.HRC.org/Marriage

Forward.

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San Diego mayor: Supporting marriage equality is “the most important thing I did”

I wasn’t blogging at the time, but the 2007 video of San Diego Mayor jerry Sanders’ tearful declaration that he had reversed on same-sex marriage went viral at the time. It is still very moving.

As regular readers of The Randy Report know, I feel marriage equality is one of the most important issues in today’s political arena. I understand how difficult it is for some to reconcile the issue within themselves. Watching this video of Jerry Sanders, it’s striking what emotions the topic brings to bear. I never make light of that, nor do I dismiss it.

Evolution is a slow but undaunted force.

Recently, outgoing Mayor Sanders explained to the Union-Tribune editorial board that supporting marriage equality was the “most important” thing he did as mayor:

Q: What about marriage equality for same-sex couples? [Sanders got national attention when he opposed many fellow Republicans who were backing a 2008 state ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. Sanders said his daughter Lisa, a lesbian, and gay members of his staff in committed relationships should have the same marriage rights as he and his wife. He later testified in the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger lawsuit that led to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturning Prop. 8.]

A: I still get emotional on this one. I think it’s the most important thing I did.

Q: Really, the most important thing you did?

A: Yeah. Equality isn’t something you can quantify. But it’s something that has to be there. I think it’s coming right away. The Supreme Court’s going to take up [the appeal of Prop. 8 supporters] and I think they’re going to let [gay marriage] stand in California because they don’t want to deal with it. The voters are going for it. Young people, that is not even in their concern list. We’re all taught from the day you start school, equality’s very important. And you look at the civil rights movements – this is exactly what this is. And so playing a little part in it, it’s been good.

(source)

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States to reap income windfall from marriage equality

JoeMyGod points out an Associated Press report on the three states about a boom in business due to same-sex weddings:

Add the coast of Maine, the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and the shores of Lake Washington to gay wedding destinations.

Next month and in January, laws go into effect in Maine, Maryland and Washington that allow same-sex marriage. They’re the first states where voters approved such laws, rather than legislators or courts. Nearly 18,000 same-sex couples in those states will exchange vows in the first three years after the new laws are in effect, estimated The Williams Institute, a national think tank at the UCLA School of Law, and the laws should generate at least $166 million in wedding spending in the three states over the next three years from in-state couples alone, boosting tax revenues and creating new jobs.

Wedding-related spending for in-state couples is projected be about $16 million in Maine, $63 million in Maryland and $89 million in Washington. The numbers go up when figuring in out-of-staters who travel to those states to be wed.

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Fox News has little time for LGBT issues

Media Matters notes that Fox News had little time for the marriage equality wins or Tammy Baldwin’s historic US Senate win in Wisconsin.

From November 6 to November 9, Media Matters combed through transcripts of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News for terms related to same-sex marriage. The organization determined that Fox News devoted far less time to the subject than it’s competitors – only one segment and nine mentions to the marriage equality wins, which marked the first time in history that American citizens voted in favor of same-sex marriage. When discussed by Fox newscasters, these victories were usually “bundled with other ballot initiatives,” rather than given individualized attention.

Media Matters also notes that Fox News failed to report on the election of Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay candidate to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. By contrast, her election received in-depth coverage on the other networks.

Read more at the Advocate.

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Huge gay kiss-in held in Paris as France considers marriage equality


LGBT people kissing in front of Hôtel de Ville by f100001572602509

Videographer Morgane Thibault sjares this video he shot of a massive kiss-in held last night in front of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. The Hôtel de Ville is the building housing the City of Paris’s administration.

He writes:

This is a video I shot last night in Paris while LGBT people were kissing in front of Hotel de Ville, to show support for the “marriage for all” bill which would extend marriage rights and adoption rights to homosexual couples. The bill is being harshly debated by a very aggressive right wing, which has prompted LGBT groups to show support in various ways including this symbolic action (a nod to the famous “Baiser de l’hotel de ville” photograph by Robert Doisneau)

(via Towleroad)

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Tracking the continuing growth of support for marriage equality

A new poll from the Pew Research Center takes a closer look at the changed tides of marriage equality in America with two to one support in the Northeast but opposition still in the South.

Pew explains the results:

In New England, 62% favor same-sex marriage, while 29% oppose it. In the mid-Atlantic, 57% favor and 34% oppose allowing gay marriage. Opinions among those on the Pacific Coast are similar (54% favor, 37% oppose). In the Midwest, which includes Minnesota, opinion is more evenly divided (46% favor, 44% oppose).  Voters in Minnesota did not approve gay marriage, but did vote to keep the ban from becoming part of the state’s constitution.

People in the South express greater opposition. A majority (56%) in the central Southern states such as Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas oppose same-sex marriage, while about a third (35%) favors it. The divide is more narrow in the South Atlantic states such as Florida, Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas (48% oppose, 42% favor).