LGBTQ news and entertainment
More pics of the shiny, happy people getting married in Arkansas. Seriously, do any of these folks “scare” you? I think this is beautiful.
These pics are via freelance photog Grav Weldon taken at Pulaski County Court House.
The first pic is of the first same-sex couple to be married at Pulaski County Court House:
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| The current Arkansas state Supreme Court justices |
At least four counties in Arkansas are currently issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling late Friday afternoon.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has requested the state supreme court overturn Judge Chris Piazza’s ruling, and the supreme court has responded by giving plaintiffs until noon Tuesday to respond.
The Supreme Court sent this notice to attorneys:
The Supreme Court requests responses to the State Defendants-Appellants’ petition for emergency stay by noon tomorrow, May 13, 2014. A copy of the petition and partial record are attached for your convenience.
Once the response is filed, it’s not clear how quickly a ruling could come. The state supreme court normally issues opinions on Thursdays, but in extraordinary cases sometimes issues them immediately.
Some counties are not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples citing the fact that only six counties were listed as defendants in the original lawsuit. One county that is a defendant — Lonoke — has announced it will not issue licenses until definitive direction from the state government.
At this time, over 100 same-sex couples have been married in Arkansas.
Meanwhile, as the marriages continue across the state, lots of pictures of shiny, happy couples sharing their happiness over their long-awaited nuptials.
Here’s Arkansas native son and Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin with one happy couple in Little Rock.
And here’s one couple who traveled from Carroll County to Washington County to get married:
Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who announced in March he would not defend his state’s gay marriage ban in an appeal of a federal court’s ruling, has announced he will run for office of governor in 2015.
In an interview with the AP, Conway said he isn’t concerned that his pro-equality stance may hurt his chances in the conservative state. As public opinion continues to shift in favor of gay marriage, Conway said Kentucky voters will tire of rehashing the debate come November 2015.
“I think in the fall of 2015 that will not be the big issue,” he said. “I think the voters will be more interested in building Kentucky’s future than in reliving all of that.”
Conway’s refusal to defend the ban led to Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear hiring private attorneys to appeal the gay marriage ruling.
And speaking of those private attorneys…
A brief filed by the attorneys for Gov. Beshear contends that the state has a legitimate interest in preserving “man-woman” marriage, because only that union can result in procreation. And procreation, the state argues, is essential to maintaining a stable birth rate; if that declined, the state would be placed in economic peril.
The “procreation” argument was directly addressed in the February ruling from a district judge that found Kentucky’s existing marriage laws unconstitutional.
“Kentucky does not require proof of procreative ability to have an out-of-state marriage recognized,” wrote U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn in his February ruling, which this latest brief looks to appeal. “The exclusion of same-sex couples on procreation grounds makes just as little sense as excluding post-menopausal [heterosexual] couples or infertile couples on procreation grounds.”
The first same-sex marriage license has been issued in Arkansas! Celebrate!
Judge Chris Piazza struck down the 2004 ban late Friday afternoon and did not issue a stay, so local clerks can decide whether to grant licenses.
Carroll County Deputy Clerk Jane Osborn issued a license Saturday morning to Kristin Seaton and Jennifer Rambo of Fort Smith. The couple were married immediately outside the offices.
Most county clerks offices are closed on Saturdays, but Carroll County is the rare exception.
The Arkansas Attorney General has issued a statement saying he supports marriage equality but will continue to defend the ban as his obligation. The AG has asked Piazza to temporarily delay allowing marriages pending an appeal to the state Supreme Court.
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| County Clerk in Eureka Springs Arkansas issues the first same-sex marriage license in the South |
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| The license! |
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| The first same-sex couple married in the SOUTH! Congratulations! |
(all photos via Lord Grav Instagram)
The Smith’s talk about their family and why the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Utah matters to them.
Learn more about Utah Unites for Marriage, the campaign to move marriage forward in Utah here.
ABC News is reporting that the state of Indiana is appealing U.S. District Judge Richard Young’s ruling which said the state must recognize the out-of-state marriage of a lesbian couple.
The state of Indiana says that “the ruling could raise false hopes for other same-sex couples.”
Young issued a preliminary injunction Thursday extending last month’s temporary restraining order forcing the state to list Amy Sandler as the spouse of Niki Quasney on a death certificate after Quasney dies of cancer.
Young did not rule on whether Indiana’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. That ruling is expected to come later.
The Indiana attorney general’s office said in court documents that recognition of the couple’s marriage now could raise false hopes for others because courts might eventually uphold the state’s gay marriage ban.
“The traditional definition of marriage has been around for a long time. Its validity is hotly contested, but the outcome of these legal disputes is uncertain,” the state said in its request for a stay.
Young’s order “cannot conclusively resolve the legality of same-sex marriages,” the state said, and added that the best course of action would to be to wait for a final decision.
Quasney and Sandler were among five couples challenging the ban with help from the national gay rights group Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal did not return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment Friday.
The couple, who have two young daughters, had argued that lack of recognition would endanger Sandler’s ability to collect Social Security and other death benefits. Quasney has stage 4 ovarian cancer and has undergone numerous surgeries and chemotherapy.
There may not be time for appeals as medical experts say Quasney will reach the average survival rate for her disease next month.
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.”
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.
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.
A new poll from Quinnipiac shows a solid majority of Floridians support the freedom to marry:
Florida voters support 56 – 39 percent allowing same-sex couples to marry, with 57 – 39 percent support among women and 55 – 40 percent backing among men. Support is 65 – 31 percent among Democrats and 64 – 30 percent among independent voters, with Republicans opposed 64 – 32 percent. Every age group supports same-sex marriage except voters over 65 years old, who are divided with 45 percent in favor and 49 percent opposed.
The poll also shows former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (now running as Democrat) leads Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Scott 48 – 38 percent for the upcoming fall election citing strength in leadership and compassion.