Tag: marriage equality

Posted on

Two years ago today: President Obama supports marriage equality

Two years ago today, President Obama sat down with Robin Roberts of ABC News and announced for the first time that he supported marriage equality.

Thank you Mr. President.

“At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that– for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that — I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.

Now — I have to tell you that part of my hesitation on this has also been I didn’t want to nationalize the issue. There’s a tendency when I weigh in to think suddenly it becomes political and it becomes polarized.

And what you’re seeing is, I think, states working through this issue — in fits and starts, all across the country. Different communities are arriving at different conclusions, at different times. And I think that’s a healthy process and a healthy debate.

And I continue to believe that this is an issue that is gonna be worked out at the local level, because historically, this has not been a federal issue, what’s recognized as a marriage.”

Posted on

Indiana: Judge orders state to recognize the marriage of terminally ill lesbian

A federal judge, U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young, on Thursday extended a previous ruling ordering Indiana officials to recognize the marriage of a terminally ill lesbian.

Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler, who married last year in Massachusetts, asked Young to order the state to recognize their marriage so that Quasney, who has stage 4 ovarian cancer, can be listed as married on her anticipated death certificate and Sandler listed as her surviving spouse.

And today, he did just that.

“[T]he State of Indiana must recognize their marriage,” Young wrote in Thursday’s 14-page order. “In addition, should Niki pass away in Indiana, the court orders William C. VanNess II, M.D., in his official capacity as the Commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health and all those acting in concert, to issue a death certificate that records her marital status as ‘married’ and lists Plaintiff Amy Sandler as the ‘surviving spouse.’”

The couple have been together 13 years and are raising two daughters.

(via OnTopMag)

Posted on

Two years ago today: VP Joe Biden on marriage equality

Two years ago today, Vice-President Joe Biden gave this statement on Meet The Press regarding marriage equality:

“The good news is that as more and more Americans become to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition. Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love?

“And that’s what people are finding out is what — what all marriages, at their root, are about. Whether they’re marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.

“I am vice president of the United States of America. The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties.

“And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.” 

(h/t JMG)

Posted on

Oregon Atty General says NOM should not be allowed to intervene in marriage equality case

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has filed a brief urging U.S. District Judge Michael McShane to reject the National Organization for Marriage’s attempts to intervene in a case challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage.

Seen as some kind of delaying tactic, although NOM had months to file it’s intentions, the folks at NOM didn’t file papers until a week before the initial hearings when it realized there were no parties defending the anti-gay law.

The Oregonian reports:

NOM filed a motion to intervene in the case less than 48 hours before McShane held oral arguments on April 23 on why the parties in the case believe that Oregon’s prohibition on same-sex marriage violates federal constitutional protections.

At the time, John Eastman, NOM’s chairman and attorney, said his group wanted to intervene to to represent voters who approved the 2004 state constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman. He said the intervention request came as late as it did because the extent of Rosenblum’s legal reasoning wasn’t made clear until mid-March and it took his group time to round up Oregon NOM members who could serve as parties in the case.

Rosenblum scoffed at that reasoning, noting that she held a Feb. 20 press conference announcing that she would not defend Oregon’s ban on gay marriage. She noted that NOM also knew of her decision since it issued a press release condemning her.

[snip]

Rosenblum also said that “NOM and its members have no right to substitute their voice or their judgment for that of the Attorney General simply because they disagree with the chief law officer’s conclusions.”

NOM has until Friday to respond to Rosenblum. Judge McShane set a date of May 14 to hear oral arguments regarding NOM’s motion.

You can read Rosenblum’s brief below.

(via Towleroad)

Posted on

Marriage News Watch – May 5, 2014

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights:

• South Dakota’s Attorney General says he’ll fight a lesbian couple in court to stop them from having their marriage recognized.

• Alaska’s highest court has ruled against the state’s marriage ban after a deliberation of over a year and a half.

• Several new lawsuits, plus a major ruling coming this week in Arkansas.

Posted on

Oklahoma: New ad for marriage equality from Freedom To Marry

Freedom Oklahoma is a project of The Equality Network and represents a broad and diverse coalition of state and national organizations, faith, business and civil leaders and everyday Oklahomans who are joining together to support the freedom to marry.

The new, statewide public education campaign will work to broaden the conversation about why marriage matters to all couples and their families.

Posted on

Arkansas Attorney General supports marriage equality

Arkansas attorney general Dustin McDaniel said today he supports marriage equality but will continue to defend his state’s ban on same-sex marriage in court, the Associated Press reports.

“I want to tell you I do support marriage equality and I do believe Arkansans should have the right to be equal in the eyes of the law,” McDaniel said in a speech at the AP managing editors convention. After the speech, he explained to an AP reporter, “I’m going to zealously defend our constitution, but at the same time I think it’s important to let people where I stand on the matter.”

Arkansas voters passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in 2004. That amendment is currently being challenged in a state court, and a ruling is expected by Friday.

McDaniel’s comments make him the first statewide official in Arkansas to back marriage equality.

(via Advocate.com)

Posted on

Clay Aiken: Marriage equality isn’t something that affects people’s daily lives

Openly gay American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is running for North Carolina’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. On a recent appearance with HuffPost Live, he was asked about marriage equality, which he supports. But…

“It’s not why I’m in this race,” Aiken noted. “It’s not an issue that’s really on the radar for most people in the second district of North Carolina. It’s not something that effects people’s daily lives.”

I would beg to differ. I’m certain there are gay and lesbian couples in the NC 2nd District. And I’m sure they would like to benefit from over 1,100 privileges, protections and benefits of marriage.

Aiken later qualified his statement to say marriage equality affects “a very small percentage” of America’s daily life.

I won’t demonize Aiken, but I think to say “it’s not something that affects people’s daily lives” is to be out of touch with his own community.

Check his statements at the 10:00 mark.

Posted on

Idaho: Marriage equality lawsuit begins Monday

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter

Marriage equality in Idaho gets it’s day in court come Monday when a federal judge will hear a challenge to the state’s gay marriage ban on Monday, the Times-News reports:

Four Boise-based same-sex couples are challenging Idaho’s constitutional ban after Ada County refused to issue marriage certificates or recognize marriages from other states. Similar bans in other states, including Utah’s, have recently been struck down in district-level federal courts and are under appeal.

The Idaho suit was filed in November against Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and Ada County Clerk Chris Rich.

In their request, the couples argue that Idaho’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples violates the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

Argument will be heard before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale at 9:30 a.m.

Posted on

Marriage equaity ruling in Arkansas to be issued by next Friday

According to the Washington Blade, Judge Chris Piazza will issue his ruling on the marriage equality case in Arkansas by next Friday:

In a notice dated May 1 to attorneys in the case, Summer McCoy, a law clerk for the Pulaski County Circuit Court, says Judge Chris Piazza will take an addition week to consider the issue, then make a decision.

“Judge Piazza has asked me to notify you that he would like to take an additional week to consider the case law, briefs of parties, and arguments of counsel,” McCoy writes. “He feels confident that he will have a ruling for the parties no later than Friday, May 9th.”

The clerk doesn’t say whether the judge is inclined to rule one way or another on marriage equality when he makes his decision.