Tag: marriage equality

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Cheney family infighting over marriage equality

So, this is how it began…

First, 2014 US Senate candidate Liz Cheney had this to say on Fox News Sunday:

“I don’t believe we ought to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation. If people are in a same-sex relationship and they want their partner to be able to have health benefits or be designated as a beneficiary on their life insurance, there’s no reason we shouldn’t do that. I also doesn’t support amending the constitution on this issue. I do believe it’s an issue that got to be left up to the states. I do believe in the traditional definition of marriage. Listen, I love Mary very much. I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree.”

Then, Liz’s sister-in-law Heather Poe, wife of Mary Cheney, responded on her Facebook page:

“I was watching my sister-in-law on Fox News Sunday (yes Liz, in fifteen states and the District of Columbia you are my sister-in-law) and was very disappointed to hear her say ‘I do believe in the traditional definition of marriage.’ Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 – she didn’t hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us. To have her now say she doesn’t support our right to marry is offensive to say the least. I can’t help but wonder how Liz would feel if as she moved from state to state, she discovered that her family was protected in one but not the other. I always thought freedom meant freedom for EVERYONE.”

And then, Mary Cheney, added this to the above, which she re-posted to her own Facebook page:

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Liz – this isn’t just an issue on which we disagree – you’re just wrong – and on the wrong side of history.”

Heather Poe and Mary Cheney

(via JMG)

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Watch Hawaii Gov. Abercrombie sign marriage equality into law – Live Video feed

Watch Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie sign marriage equality into law. The signing will be at 3pmEST/NoonPST/10amHST

Live streaming video by Ustream  

Gov. Abercrombie seconds after signing marriage equality into law

The Governor of Hawaii and legislators who brought marriage equality to the Aloha State

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LGBT advocates applaud passage of marriage equality in Hawaii

Coming right after thrilling wins in Illinois and New Jersey, our Hawaii triumph really underscores how far we’ve come.
From Freedom To Marry via press release:

Coming right after thrilling wins in Illinois and New Jersey, our Hawaii triumph really underscores how far we’ve come.

We still have a lot to do to finish the job. But as shown by the hard-fought, long-sought win in Hawaii and our other recent victories, when we work together, we get it done.

Because of this work, millions of Americans have evolved into a national majority for marriage. Today, Hawaii’s leaders have joined them by opening their hearts and changing their minds, writing this latest chapter in America’s history of liberty and justice for all.

 

From Human Rights Campaign via press release:

This is another chapter in an exciting string of victories this year. But more than that, it’s proof that hard work, long-term dedication, and the support of individuals from around the country (including YOU) can make the difference when it comes to securing basic rights for loving couples.

Hawaii was one of the first states to begin fighting for marriage equality, and helped raise this question of fundamental rights to a national consciousness. And though our progress has ebbed and flowed over the years, today we can finally claim victory.

 

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Hawaii Senate passes marriage equality in final vote 19-4

The state Senate of Hawaii just passed marriage equality by 19-4 in the final vote on the issue.

The Senate had passed the legislation on October 30th by a vote of 20-4.

Due to some minor amendments passed with the bill in the state House, the Senate had to take one more technical vote before sending to Gov. Abercrombie’s desk.

Marriage equality is set to begin December 2nd.

Celebrate kids!  Happy Dance Time!

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New Mexico: Same-sex marriage plaintiff loses battle with brain cancer

Jen and Angelique Neuman-Roper were one of the six couples suing the state of New Mexico for the right to marry.

On August 21, a judge ordered a county clerk to issue their marriage license. 

Jen Neuman-Roper died this past Friday due to her advanced brain cancer:

Jen and Angelique Neuman-Roper of Nambe were married in August during an impromptu ceremony in the lobby of the Christus St. Vincent Cancer Center in Santa Fe, the same day a judge granted their request and ordered the Santa Fe County clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. They made their urgent request because Jen Neuman-Roper had Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

They married again in October, this time in a more formal ceremony in Pojoaque attended by many family and friends.

Upon her passing, Jen Neuman-Roper was the first person to be issued a New Mexico certificate of death that acknowledged a surviving same-sex spouse, according to a news release issued today by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.

ACLU-NM Executive Director Peter Simonson issued a statement which reads in part, “She was a beloved member of her community, a loving mother and wife, and a trail blazer for marriage equality in New Mexico. Her participation in the New Mexico freedom to marry case helped open the door for thousands of same-sex couples to celebrate their love and commitment in marriage here in our state. She will be missed.”

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Marriage News Watch – November 11, 2013

From AFER:

It’s been a busy week, with marriage bills just days away from becoming laws in Illinois and Hawaii.

By the end of 2013, the percentage of the population living in states that have passed marriage bills will have doubled in just one year.

So, what’s next? Believe it or not, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Montana have all shown signs of progress this week.

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Idaho lawsuit filed on behalf of marriage equality

And today we add Idaho to the ever-growing list of lawsuits filed on behalf of marriage equality.

Via press release from the National Center for Lesbian Rights:

Today, four same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit in Boise challenging Idaho’s laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying and refuse to respect the legal marriages of same-sex couples who married in other states.

The couples, all from Boise, include university instructors, a teacher of deaf children, and a military veteran who served with the Idaho National Guard in Iraq. Three of the couples are raising children together.

The lawsuit argues that Idaho’s laws barring same-sex couples from marrying and prohibiting the state from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples who married in other states violates the United States Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process.

The couples are Sue Latta and Traci Ehlers, Lori and Sharene Watsen, Shelia Robertson and Andrea Altmayer, and Amber Beierle and Rachael Robertson. They are represented by Boise attorneys Deborah A. Ferguson and Craig Durham and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).

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Arkansas Attorney General approves marriage equality petition language

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel yesterday approved the wording for a petition drive to place marriage equality to a public vote in 2016. The wording for the new petition would repeal the 2004 ban and make marriage equality legal:

McDaniel’s office certified the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment submitted by the Arkansas Initiative for Marriage Equality.

McDaniel’s certification is required before the group can pursue the 78,133 signatures from registered voters needed to place the proposal on the ballot.

“We’re all ready to go, full steam ahead,” said Jack Weir, the group’s founder, who said he hoped to begin gathering signatures soon. “We couldn’t be more happy.”

The proposal approved Thursday would also repeal the marriage amendment, which was approved by voters in 2004, and would instead recognize marriage as a “union between two people regardless of sex.” It would also prohibit county clerks from denying marriage licenses to couples based on their sex. Under the measure, clergy and religious organizations would not be obligated to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.