Tag: same-sex marriage

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Trailer: “Love Is Strange”

Directed by Ira Sachs (Keep The Lights On, Forty Shades of Blue), Love is Strange follows Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) who, after 4 decades together, finally tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in lower Manhattan.

But when George loses his job soon after, the couple must sell their apartment and – victims of the relentless New York City real estate market – temporarily live apart until they can find an affordable new home.

While George moves in with two cops (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez) who live down stairs, Ben lands in Brooklyn with his nephew (Darren Burrows), his wife (Marisa Tomei), and their temperamental teenage son (Charlie Tahan), with whom Ben shares a bedroom.

While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George are further challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements.

Opens in wide release August 22nd.

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Rick Santorum at NOM’s 2014 Anti-gay Hate Rally in Washington DC

While many GOP politicians are beginning to put some distance between themselves and publicly opposing same-sex marriage, Rick “Frothy Mix” Santorum certainly wasn’t going to miss a chance to spout some anti-gay rhetoric at yesterday’s hate rally sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage.

Where once there would have been many conservative politicians lining up to speak out against equal rights for the LGBT community, yesterday’s epic fail of an event in Washington DC only saw the barest handful show up.  Billed as a kind of “national event,” the rally turned out only about 2,000 attendees.

Watch Frothy Mix tick off his usual reasons why the gays shouldn’t marry, including the mystifying idea that same-sex marriage is bad for the economy, when study after study shows gay marriage adds millions to states economies as states have seen the freedom to marry become legal across the country.

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Presbyterian Church General Assembly votes to allow same-sex marriage

The top legislative body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has taken major steps toward recognizing gay marriage.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church voted Thursday in favor of redefining Christian marriage in the church constitution as the union of “two people” instead of “a man and a woman.”

Over the next year, a majority of the 172 regional Presbyteries must approve the constitutional change for it take effect.

(source)

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Wisconsin: Federal judge stays same-sex marriage ruling

On hold for now.

I see the reasoning, but I’m still sad.

Via Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

A federal judge issued a final trial court order striking down Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex couples marrying, but she put her ruling on hold pending appeal.

“I conclude that Herbert v. Kitchen, compels me to stay the injunction,” U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb wrote, referencing the Supreme Court’s January decision halting same-sex marriages in Utah during the appeal of that case.

The ruling comes a week after her initial decision striking down the ban. At that time, she did not issue an injunction in the case and laid out a plan for resolving that question and the question of whether her eventually injunction should be stayed during the appeal in the coming weeks.

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Wisconsin: Federal Judge denies Attorney General request for stay on marriage equality ruling

wisconsin

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb denied Wisconsin Attorney General’s request to stay her ruling issued last Friday which declared the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Crabb indicated that a stay could be issued at some point, but she scheduled a hearing for June 19th to hear both sides thoughts on the implications of a stay.

“I will consider a stay as to what’s in the (final order,) but I’m not going to act today,” Crabb said at a Monday afternoon hearing.

For the time being, some counties will continue to issue marriage licenses to same-sex oouples. Dane, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties have issued over 200 marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, while others like Washington and Racine say they await more definitive orders.

From the Journal Sentinel:

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, a Democrat, stepped out of Crabb’s hearing Monday and said he would continue to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“The status quo is what we’re doing now and (19) other counties, which is issuing marriage licenses,” McDonell told reporters.

Backing up McDonell was David Gault, an assistant corporation counsel in Dane County, which is controlled by a Democratic county executive and liberal county board. Gault said Crabb’s decision Friday was “unambiguous” and that there is no prohibition on same-sex couples getting married.

“We’re not speculating,” he said. “We’re following the black letter of her decision.”

Wisconsin law dictates that you must apply for a marriage license in the county with which a you live. So, couples in Washington county, for example, are still blocked from getting married until Crabb issues final orders on the ruling.

Attorney General JB Van Hollen has also filed a request for stay with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

(source)

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Federal judge strikes down Wisconsin ban on same-sex marriage

U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb  has ruled that Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Wisconsin’s voters passed a constitutional ban against same-sex marriages in 2006, but the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and the law firm of Mayer Brown filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight Wisconsin couples challenging the ban.

Part of Friday’s ruling reads:

“It is DECLARED that art. XIII, § 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution violates plaintiffs’ fundamental right to marry and their right to equal protection of laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constiution.”

[snip]

“Personal beliefs, anxiety about change and discomfort about an unfamiliar way of life must give way to a respect for the constitutional rights of individuals…”

The state motioned to stay the case in March and to dismiss it in April, but both motions were denied. It’s not yet clear when same-sex marriages will be able to be performed in Wisconsin.

Several county clerks have prepared for this decision in advance with plans to beef up staff in case there is a sudden rush for couples to marry.  There is normally a five day waiting period between application and issuance of marriage licenses, but clerks may waive the waiting period in some cases for a $25 fee.  Some clerks have indicated they would be willing to do so for same-sex couples.

This is the 20th consecutive win for marriage equality since last summer’s SCOTUS decision on DOMA and Prop 8.

What a gift for pride celebrations!

Congratulations Wisconsin!

(source)