Tag: marriage equality

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Michigan judge rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights:

Today, a federal judge in Michigan ruled unconstitutional the state’s laws prohibiting marriages for gay and lesbian couples, saying that they violate the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Judge Bernard Friedman’s decision comes two weeks after the 9-day trial in DeBoer v. Snyder came to a close.

The trial was the second time a federal court heard expert testimony on the issue of marriage for gay and lesbian couples. In January 2010, AFER’s attorneys led by Ted Olson and David Boies presented 17 witnesses in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (later Hollingsworth v. Perry).

Similar to recent rulings, Judge Friedman found that state laws violate the United States Constitution:

“Today’s decision…affirms the enduring principle that regardless of whoever finds favor in the eyes of the most recent majority, the guarantee of equal protection must prevail.”

Included in the ruling is Friedman’s opinion that findings from Mark Regnerus’s often rebuked study about same-sex families were “entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration.”

This is the sixth time a federal court has ruled such discriminatory laws unconstitutional, and the fifth state to do so in the last three months.

The lawsuit was filed by two nurses, April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, and on behalf of their three children.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed an emergency request for stay of Friedman’s ruling.

The decision is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio by the state defendants.

You can read the decision below:

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Anti-gay crusader Maggie Gallagher admits marriage equality is inevitable in the US

In an interview with Huffington Post, rabid anti-gay crusader (and co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage) Maggie Gallagher says she feels “more freedom” having stepped away from fighting against marriage equality:

I went into this fight, in good conscience, because I believed it mattered and that I had something to contribute. I did not promise myself I would win. I promised myself I would do everything I could see, to do this good, to fight for marriage as a universal human institution with certain goods and goals. I feel a great deal of contentment about that.

I can see some things I might have done differently, but basically I was at post. One cannot do anything better with one’s life than stand up for what you deeply believe in, i.e, to speak truth, whether in power or to power.

I have a lot more freedom now to figure out what I want to do with the next 20 years of my life.

Gallagher also acknowledges the fight over marriage equality is all but over at this point saying, “We are now in the ‘gay marriage in all 50 states’ phase whether we like it or not.”

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Michigan: Episcopal Bishop supports marriage equality

With the ruling in the Michigan marriage equality lawsuit due anytime time, Bishop Wendell Gibbs, of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, has issued this statement in support of marriage equality:

“Picking and choosing whose rights should be protected or which civil rights the church will support is neither American ‘justice for all’ nor supported by the God of salvation history. I stand in support of marriage equality and pray that our justice system will work to break down the walls of segregation, promote the humanity of all and calm our irrational fears.”

(via Pink News)

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Vernita Gray, longtime Illinois LGBT advocate, passes away at 65

Vernita Gray (L) and Patricia Ewart (R)

Same-sex marriage is set to begin on June 1st in Illinois. 

But back in November, an Illinois judge ruled that longtime LGBT activist Vernita Gray (above left) could marry her partner Patricia Ewert (above right) before that date due to Gray’s terminal cancer diagnosis.

Gray passed away yesterday at the age of 65.

Gray died late Tuesday of cancer at the same Chicago home where she married Patricia Ewert in late November, family friend Jim Bennett told The Associated Press. Bennett was among friends who were gathered at the home when Gray died.

Gray’s failing health and her wish to marry persuaded a federal judge to order that an expedited marriage license be granted to the couple ahead of the June 1 effective date of the state’s gay marriage law. A subsequent judge’s ruling then paved the way for more same-sex couples to marry early in some Illinois counties.

Gray worked for gay rights for decades, advocating for same-sex marriage long before many other activists saw it as a possibility, Bennett said. To win over conservatives, she made the case that her Social Security survivor benefits should go to her partner, and her knack for working with people across the political spectrum “made everyone feel that they had a unique contribution to move us forward,” Bennett said.

Statement from Chicago Mayor Rahn Emmanuel:

“Vernita Gray was an inspiration to all who crossed her path, from President (Barack) Obama, who knew her by name, to the victims of violence she comforted and the young people for whom she was a fierce advocate.

“Her legacy can be felt in the many institutions she supported and by every LGBT couple in Illinois who is now free to marry the person they love.”

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Marriage equality votes in Illinois did not hurt GOP candidates in primaries

Last year, three Illinois Republican lawmakers crossed party lines and supported marriage equality.

Opponents of same-sex marriage promised retribution at the ballot box.

Didn’t happen.

From the Washington Post:

State Rep. Tom Cross (R) cruised to a 14-point victory in the primary for state treasurer while state Rep. Ed Sullivan (R) easily won renomination in his district.

The third, state Rep. Ron Sandack (R), narrowly edged out his opponent by fewer than 200 votes, according to an unofficial tally. The close margin could mean the race goes to a recount.

Sandack and Sullivan both faced pressure from third-party groups looking to oust them over their gay marriage votes. In Sandack’s case, the issue became a central focus.

Had the three Republicans lost, it would have probably given pause to Republicans considering backing gay marriage in other states where the matter comes up in the future. But given two decisive wins and a third tentative victory, gay rights advocates have a lot to be happy about a day after the election.

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Wyoming sees statewide campaign for marriage equality

A new campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Wyoming, Wyoming Unites for Marriage, kicked off on the steps of the Capitol building in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Monday.

The campaign will work in conjunction with a lawsuit filed in state court on behalf of four same-sex couples, along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, challenging Wyoming’s ban on marriage for gays and lesbians.

Jeran Artery, chairman of Wyoming Equality, said advocates will hold rallies and discussions throughout the state to build support for the lawsuit and their goal — to make civil unions between same-sex couples legal in the state.

“As that case makes it way through the courts, there is nothing more important that we can do than have meaningful conversations about why marriage matters to all of Wyoming’s families,” Artery told supporters Monday.

“At the end of the day, marriage for same-sex couples is about treating others like we would like to be treated,” he added. “In Wyoming right now, loving same-sex couples and their families are being denied the protections that only marriage can provide.”

Citing the national trend, Artery predicted it won’t be long before same-sex couples can marry and have equality in Wyoming — known as the Equality State.

Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, a Cheyenne Republican, said he has supported same-sex marriage in the 10 years he has served in the Wyoming House. During that time, the Legislature has not passed any anti-gay legislation. He predicted gay marriage will no longer be an issue 10 years from now.

(via Trib.com)

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Oregon Attorney General: “Same-sex marriage ban serves no rational purpose”

Last month, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced, like many state attorneys general, she would not defend the state’s same-sex marriage ban in court.

Rosenblum has now filed a response brief in the state’s same-sex marriage case stating, in part:

“The state defendants in this case recognize that the ban on same-sex marriage serves no rational purpose and harms Oregon citizens. This case presents that rare case in which there simply is no legal argument to be made in support of a state law.”

Oregon United For Marriage released this statement:

“We are literally counting down the days until all loving and committed couples in Oregon have the freedom to marry, and we are thrilled that the attorney general is on the right side of history. No one should be told it is illegal to marry the person they love. Freedom means freedom for everyone.”

(via JMG)

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Oklahoma marriage equality plaintiffs say ban is “demeaning” to gay families

A brief filed yesterday on behalf of the plaintiffs suing to overturn the same-sex marriage ban in Oklahoma states that the ban is demeaning to gay couples and their families.

The argument came in a 102-page document filed Monday on behalf of Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

Bishop and Baldwin, who have been together for more than 15 years, are suing to be allowed to marry in Oklahoma. Their attorneys argue in the filing that the ban “demeans and humiliates these couples and their children, conveying to them, to family, to friends, to neighbors, to classmates, to teachers, to colleagues, to employers, to officials, to governments, and to all the world that their relationships are unworthy and second-tier,” the document stated.

The filing came in response to a brief filed last month by the Alliance Defending Freedom that said legalizing gay marriage would harm children, undermine society and make traditional marriages unstable.

In January a federal judge ruled that Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but he stayed his ruling.

Oklahoma’s marriage equality ban was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge in January.

Oral arguments for the appeal in the Tenth Circuit Court are scheduled for April 10th.

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Chick-Fil-A CEO says he regrets stepping into marriage equality debate

Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy

In 2012, Chick-Fil-A executive Dan Cathy made several comments opposing same-sex marriage and oversaw his company donate $5 million to anti-gay groups.

The backlash was swift and the media covered the many stages of protest from the pro-gay “Kiss In” at several restaurant locations to an anti-gay countrywide Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

Now Cathy says he regrets taking the restaurant into the culture wars, and feels he’s learned something along the way. He had this to say recently to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I think that’s a political debate that’s going to rage on,” Cathy told the Journal-Constitution in an article published Friday. “And the wiser thing for us to do is to stay focused on customer service.”

That doesn’t mean he didn’t learn anything from the 2012 firestorm, though.

“Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by [recognizing] the mistakes that you make,” Cathy said. “And you learn from those mistakes. If not, you’re just a fool. I’m thankful that I lived through it and I learned a lot from it.”

ThinkProgress reports that Chick-Fil-A has cut back donations to anti-gay groups from $5 million to $25K last year.

That being said, Cathy says his views on marriage haven’t changed.

“I think the time of truths and principles are captured and codified in God’s word and I’m just personally committed to that,” he told the Journal-Constitution. “I know others feel very different from that and I respect their opinion and I hope that they would be respectful of mine.”