Tag: marriage equality

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NOM’s Brian Brown riding the “waaahmbulance” about same-sex marriage licenses in New Mexico

Brian Brown of the ironically named National Organization for Marriage

NOM’s Brian Brown is very, very, very upset that a county clerk in New Mexico is doing exactly what the anti-gay marriage folks have demanded of other county clerks around the country – follow the laws of the land.

Unlike in many other states, New Mexico residents have never voted to ban same-sex marriage and state law does not expressly permit or prohibit such unions.

Via NOM’s Blog:

“Same-sex ‘marriage’ activists in New Mexico are not content to wait for the courts. Now they have found a county clerk willing to defy the Governor and Attorney General by issuing illegal ‘marriage’ licenses to same-sex couples.

“The battle for marriage as God designed has come to The Land of Enchantment; and it’s your turn to stand in the breach. Every person who believes marriage to be the union of one man and one woman needs to contact Governor Martinez, urging her and her administration to give their full support to the defense of marriage.

“This latest action goes beyond the pending lawsuits in New Mexico and moves into the realm of lawlessness and anarchy. County Clerks are not free to make up law on their own; it is there job to uphold the law and serve the people who elected them.” – Hate group leader Brian Brown, who is once again very upset that a county clerk is doing exactly what hate groups have demanded of clerks in states where marriage was legalized.

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New Mexico: State Attorney General won’t challenge same-sex marriage licenses

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King says he will not challenge a move by the Dona Ana County clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

King told reporters Wednesday that he didn’t believe state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were constitutional. 
He also said he would not challenge any other county clerk who issued licenses. 
Still, King warned that those marriages could be invalid if the state Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is not allowed in New Mexico. 
The Dona Ana County clerk began issuing same-sex marriage licenses Wednesday after he said his review of state law allowed him to do so. 
Couples immediately began arriving at a Las Cruces courthouse to receive licenses amid pending court challenges elsewhere in the state.  By the end of the day, 42 marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples.

(source)
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New Mexico: County clerk issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples

This morning the New Mexico county of Dona Ana began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

From Progress Now New Mexico:

Same-sex couples in Doña Ana County began receiving marriage licenses this morning after the county clerk announced he was issuing them based on a legal opinion endorsed earlier this year by the City of Santa Fe and a recent filing by the attorney general stating that New Mexico’s laws demanded that the state issue licenses to same-sex couples.

County Clerk Lynn Ellins began issuing the licenses at 8:00 am this morning from his office. At ProgressNowNM, we couldn’t be happier for the couples in Doña Ana County – and those across the state who will soon, no doubt, make their way there – who have waited far too long for public sentiment and political courage to evolve far enough to publicly acknowledge their relationships as being just as equal as that of their neighbors.

If acted upon, Dona Ana County would become the first county in New Mexico to actively issue same-sex licenses since a central New Mexico county clerk tried to issue them in 2004. The Sandoval County clerk issued 64 licenses to same-sex couples but then-Attorney General Patricia Madrid soon declared the licenses were invalid. A court later ordered the clerk to not issue such licenses.

The move comes a day after a same-sex couple from Santa Fe asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to streamline the handling of lawsuits seeking to legalize gay marriage in the state.

Rep. Brian Egolf, a Santa Fe Democrat and the couple’s lawyer, said Tuesday the goal is to get a quick lower court decision and clear the way for an expedited ruling by the state’s highest court.

The justices are being asked to consolidate all cases involving the gay marriage issue and assign them to a district court judge in Santa Fe, who would issue a ruling that would go directly to the Supreme Court for review.

(source)

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New Zealand to begin same-sex marriage tomorrow

New Zealand’s first gay weddings are due to take place after the country became the first in the Asia-Pacific region and 14th in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Thirty-one same-sex couples plan to marry on Monday, according to the Department of Internal Affairs.

It comes after New Zealand’s parliament passed a bill in April amending the country’s 1955 marriage act.

Congratulations New Zealand! Happy Dance Time!

Check out the video below as the votes were counted and marriage equality was passed.  Very moving.

(via BBC)

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MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts discusses the hypocrisy of conservatives congratulating him on his marriage

Openly gay MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts appeared on “Morning Joe” talk-show to discuss current news cycle items and among them was marriage equality. In the discussion of the Republican National Committee’s continued opposition to same-sex marriage in the party platform, Roberts discussed his own personal experience with the Republican leadership that seemed to him at odds with their publicly stated political beliefs:

“Reince Priebus, when I got engaged, congratulated me at the White House Correspondents’ weekend. Last year, Sean Spicer congratulated me on getting married to my husband. Yet they incorporate into the platform of the RNC their stance against marriage equality,” Roberts said.

“It’s odd, because why congratulate me? I didn’t bring it up, I didn’t say give me a congratulations, but they offered it,” Roberts said. “So it’s odd, because then they’ll go out and drumbeat that they’re against marriage equality. It’s weird.”

In an email to Politico RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer clarified his position:

“Believing marriage is between one man and one woman and being polite, courteous and respectful are not mutually exclusive.”

I’ve personally experienced similar exchanges with friends whose politics run more conservative than mine.  They congratulate Michael and me for 19 years together, on getting married, but still go vote against issues like marriage equality, as if they disconnect the real-life encounter with me from the politics they practice.

As Thomas says, it’s odd.

(source)

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And Prop 8 is finally officially dead, dead, dead

The LA Times reports on the final, unsuccessful attempt by the haters to keep gays and lesbians from marrying in California:

The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to revive Proposition 8, ending the last remaining legal challenge to same-sex marriage in the state.

Meeting in closed session, the state high court rejected arguments by ProtectMarriage, Proposition 8’s sponsors, that only an appellate court could overturn a statewide law.

A federal judge in San Francisco declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional in 2010, and state officials refused to appeal. ProtectMarriage did appeal, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that initiative sponsors have no right to defend their measures in federal court. The decision left in place the ruling by retired Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker.

In its challenge before the state’s highest court, ProtectMarriage argued that a single judge lacked the authority to overturn a state constitutional amendment. The group also contended that Walker’s injunction applied to two counties at most and that state officials had overstepped their authority by ordering county clerks throughout California to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

State officials countered that the challenge was a veiled attempt to persuade a state court to interfere with a federal judge’s order in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

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Sailor proposes to boyfriend upon return from 6 month deployment

Sweet picture.

Via USA Today:

A Navy sailor returning from a six-month deployment emerged from his submarine, dropped to one knee and proposed to his boyfriend during the homecoming celebration in Connecticut for USS New Mexico.

About 200 people were gathered at the dock of the Naval Submarine Base New London where Machinist’s Mate Jerrel Revels proposed to Dylan Kirchner. Kirchner said he had thought about getting married but the proposal Monday came as a surprise.

“I didn’t really care everybody was around. It felt just like the two of us,” Kirchner told The Day of New London.

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Pentagon to extend full marriage benefits – including 10 days marriage leave – to same-sex military couples

I wrote about this last week, and now we get official word from the Pentagon:

The Pentagon plans to extend to legally married same-sex couples the same privileges and programs that are provided to legally married heterosexual couples, including benefits tied to health care and housing, the official said.

In addition, the official said that service members who are stationed in one of the 37 states where same-sex marriage is illegal will be offered up to 10 days of leave so they can travel to one of the 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, that grant same-sex marriage licenses. The Defense Department had earlier planned to permit same-sex spouses of military members to sign a declaration form in order to receive limited benefits, such as access to military stores and certain welfare programs, according to The Associated Press.

Implementation of the new policies could begin as early as next month.

(h/t JMG)