Tag: same-sex marriage

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton To Issue Guidelines Recognizing Married Same-Sex Couples

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

With contempt of court charges looming, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has agreed to issue new guidelines regarding the state recognizing married same-sex couples in the Lone Star state.

Dallas Voice has the details:

Those guidelines include recognizing married same-sex couples for purposes of death certificates but also for purposes of birth certificates. Refusing to recognize a same-sex couple for purposes of a death certificate led to the contempt charges.

The birth certificate issue has been a problem for same-sex couples for years. Judges in only a few counties including Dallas will allow second parent adoptions, but the second parent’s name doesn’t go on the birth certificate. If an opposite-sex couple is married, the husband is presumed to be the father and his name goes on the birth certificate.

Now the names of a couple that adopts together will both go on the birth certificate, just as it does for opposite-sex couples. For gay couples who have children through a surrogate, both names of the married couple will go on the birth certificate. And for lesbian couples who have a baby and one of the women carry the child, both names of a married couple will go on the birth certificate.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Ordered To Court Regarding Possible Contempt Of Court Charges

Chalk up another court room appearance by beleaguered anti-gay Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as he has been ordered to appear in court next week on possible contempt of court charges.

The order comes via U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia regarding a request from former Conroe police officer John Stone-Hoskins, whose request to have his deceased husband’s death certificate amended to reflect his married status at time of death has been refused by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

Garcia has ordered the state to amend the death certificate of James Stone-Hoskins showing John to be his surviving spouse. The state has thus far refused.

From San Antonio Express-News:

“The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether Defendants should be held in contempt for disobedience of this Court’s July 7, 2015 order, permanently enjoining Defendants from enforcing any Texas’s laws that prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex marriage,” Orlando said.

Neel Lane, one of the lawyers representing John Stone-Hoskins, said Texas officials did not agree that the ruling was retroactive.

“They (Texas officials) are not agreeing that it applies retroactively,” Lane said. “They want the court to decide it. To me, it already has and the Constitution is clear. They’re denying him his constitutional rights.

“If he were ‘Jane,’ the certificate would be changed as a matter of course,” Lane added. “The only reason they are doing this is because he’s ‘John.’”

In February 2014, Garcia issued a ruling in a lawsuit filed by other gay couples that said Texas’ refusal to recognize same-sex couples’ out-of-state marriages is illegal.

James and John, of Conroe, had been together for 10 years before a wedding in New Mexico in 2014, where it is legal. James Stone-Hoskins died in January 2015. At the time, the state listed him as being single on his death certificate, refusing to recognize the marriage because Texas’ ban on gay marriage was still in effect.

Since the Supreme Court ruling, John Stone-Hoskins has made a series of requests to change the death certificate.

John Stone-Hoskins wants the change immediately because he has been diagnosed with cancer and has been told he may die within 45 to 60 days.

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Kentucky: Anti-Gay County Clerk Sues Governor For Telling Her To Do Her Job

County Clerk Kim Davis of Kentucky refusing marriage license to same-sex couple

Kentucky County Clerk has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Steve Beshear over her continued refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Davis maintains she has a right to deny same-sex couples equal treatment under the law because of her religious beliefs.

Via Kentucky.com:

Late Tuesday, Davis filed a lawsuit against Beshear in federal district court. She blamed the governor for instructing all 120 of the state’s county clerks to comply with this summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage.

Beshear’s stance left dissenting county clerks vulnerable to lawsuits, including two that she currently faces, filed by groups of her constituents, Davis said. U.S. District Judge David Bunning is expected to rule in these cases in coming days.

“The Commonwealth of Kentucky, acting through Governor Beshear, has deprived Davis of her religious-conscience rights guaranteed by the United States and Kentucky constitutions and laws, by insisting that Davis issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples contrary to her conscience, based on her sincerely held religious beliefs,” Davis’ lawsuit says.

Also named in the lawsuit is the head of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, which changed the marriage license forms to gender-neutral.

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National Organization For Marriage Loses AGAIN In Court

The virulently anti-gay National Organization for Marriage has lost yet again in it’s efforts to hide their donor list from their campaign against marriage equality in Maine.

From LGBTQ Nation:

Maine’s ethics commission fined the National Organization for Marriage $50,250 last year for violating the state’s campaign finance laws and ordered it to file a campaign finance report that would reveal who supported the 2009 referendum that struck down Maine’s gay marriage law.

The group sought to delay filing of the report, pending the outcome of its appeal in court of the commission’s decision.

But the Maine Supreme Court denied that request Tuesday, saying it’s unlikely that NOM will be successful in its appeal.

Brian Brown, president of the group, said he believes NOM is being unfairly targeted because of its views on marriage.

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New Music: Mikey Wax “Love Always Wins” (Feat. Prophecy)

Inspired by the recent SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality, pop/rock artist Mikey Wax recorded “Love Always Wins” to celebrate not only the court decision but the euphoria that followed as same-sex marriage became the law of the land.

Packed with uplifting and positive lyrics, the music video utilizes footage captured at the moment of the ruling on the steps of the Supreme Court, plus celebrations across America.

Check this from Mikey:

My best friend is gay. His words of hope and happiness after the Supreme Court ruling inspired this song. I truly believe that despite race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, love always wins.

And the folks at E! Entertainment took note. This song is currently featured in the promo commerciasl for Caitlyn Jenner’s new TV series “I Am Cait” on E! Entertainment.

Congrats to Mikey for the uplifting summer tune, and thanks for being an LGBT ally 🙂

You can find the track on iTunes here, and follow Mikey on Facebook here.

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Alabama: 13 Counties Are Still Refusing To Issue Same-Sex Couples Marriage Licenses

Southern Equality reports that 13 counties in Alabama are still refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Come on, kids. What’s it gonna take to get you to do your duty as an elected official? You can’t  pick and choose what parts of your job you will or will not do.

Across the 13 impacted counties, projected annual lost revenue totals $132,106.50 due to probate judges closing county offices.

A total of 330,236 people live in the 13 Alabama counties that are not issuing marriage licenses to any couples. Additionally, an estimated 313 same-sex couples live in the impacted counties, with an estimated 18% of them raising children.

More at the Campaign for Southern Equality.

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Gallup Poll: Support For Same-Sex Marriage Stable After SCOTUS Ruling

According to the latest Gallup poll, support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. has not been affected since the historic ruling by the Supreme Court in late June.

The decision was consistent with American public’s opinion on the issue.

Americans’ support for gay marriage has increased over time, from 27% in 1996, the first time Gallup asked about it, to the current 58%.

A consistent majority has favored it since 2011, including a high of 60% in May of this year.

The two-percentage-point difference between the May and July estimates is not statistically meaningful.

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Kentucky Governor Tells County Clerks: Issue Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples Or Resign

Speaking at a press conference today, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear made clear his position regarding county clerks who refuse to marry same-sex couples: be prepared to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or resign.

“When you voluntarily decide to run for office, and you win, and you raise your hand and you take the oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States… that oath doesn’t say ‘I will uphold the parts of the Constitution that I agree with and won’t with the parts I don’t agree with.’”

“You can continue to have your own personal beliefs but, you’re also taking an oath to fulfill the duties prescribed by law, and if you are at that point to where your personal convictions tell you that you simply cannot fulfill your duties that you were elected to do, than obviously an honorable course to take is to resign and let someone else step-in who feels that they can fulfill those duties.”

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Kentucky Count Clerk Kim Davis On Same-Sex Marriage: I Can’t Authorize What I Don’t Agree With

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis of Kentucky stopped issuing all marriage licenses June 27, one day after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages nationwide.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued her on behalf of two gay couples and two straight couples.

Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear instructed county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples immediately. At least two clerks refused. Clerks are elected officials. They cannot be removed from office unless impeached by the state legislature. Impeachment appears unlikely, given the political climate in the state capital.

Kentucky law requires the county clerk to issue marriage licenses, or the local judge executive if the clerk is absent or the office is vacant.

The wording on the license says the couple is “hereby authorized” to get married.

“If … I authorize that I’m saying I agree with it, and I can’t,” Davis said Monday in a sometimes tearful testimony before a packed courtroom.

Davis would like the governor to call a special session of the state legislature (at at cost of $60,000 a day) with the intent of passing new laws allowing county clerks to refuse same-sex couples service based on religious beliefs.

In Kentucky, it’s a Class A misdemeanor — first-degree official misconduct — for elected officials to refuse to perform the duties of their office.

Davis was vague when asked what she plans to do should the judge order her to issue marriage licenses.

“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,” she said.

It has been reported that Davis has been married four times herself.

(via LGBTQ Nation)

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Taiwan Government To Introduce Same-Sex Marriage Legislation

Could Taiwan become the first region in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage?

From The Global Times:

Following the US Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage in June, judicial authorities in Taiwan announced recently that they decided to draft a same-sex partnership law consistent with the global trend and changing public opinion.

They said when polls show that the region’s population is ready, a gay marriage law will be drafted.

Lo Ying-hsueh, head of Taiwan’s judicial body, said the government will put related bills on an online voting platform with the result to serve as a reference for the legislature, the Taiwan-based United Daily News reported Sunday.

A poll conducted by judicial authorities in 2013 shows that more than 53 percent support same-sex marriage.