Tag: same-sex marriage

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Kentucky: Governor Advises County Clerk To Issue Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples Or Resign

Earlier today, Casey County Clerk Casey Davis left a one-on-one meeting with the Governor of Kentucky, Democrat Steve Beshear, who advised the county clerk to do his job, issue marriage licenses to all couples regardless of gender – or resign.

Davis says he is refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples, and is refusing to resign.

Governor Beshear has issued this statement regarding the meeting:

This morning, I advised Mr. Davis that I respect his right to his own personal beliefs regarding same-sex marriages.

However, when he was elected, he took a constitutional oath to uphold the United States Constitution. According to the United States Supreme Court, the Constitution now requires that governmental officials in Kentucky and elsewhere must recognize same-sex marriages as valid and allow them to take place. One of Mr. Davis’ duties as county court clerk is to issue marriage licenses, and the Supreme Court now says that the United States Constitution requires those marriage licenses to be issued regardless of gender. Mr. Davis’ own county attorney has advised him that his oath requires him to do so.

Davis has also asked that same-sex couples be allowed to obtain their marriage licenses online so he doesn’t have to deal with them.

A group of county clerks has asked the governor to call a special session of the state legislature to address the issue of same-sex marriage.

Gov. Bashear has already said he has no plans to spend hundred of thousands of tax payer dollars on a special session about what is now settled law.

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Attorney General Loretta Lynch Announces Full Federal Benefits For All Married Same-Sex Couples

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch today announced that the U.S. government will now extend all federal rights and benefits of marriage to legally married same-sex couples:

“Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision in Obergefell that every couple has the same right to participate in the institution of marriage, whether the partners are of the same-sex or opposite sexes, I directed Justice Department staff to work with the agencies to ensure that the ruling be given full effect across the federal government. Thanks to their leadership and the quick work of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, today I am proud to announce that the critical programs for veterans and elderly and disabled Americans, which previously could not give effect to the marriages of couples living in states that did not recognize those marriages, will now provide federal recognition for all marriages nationwide. The agencies are currently working towards providing guidance to implement this change in law.

“Just over a year ago, Attorney General Holder announced that agencies across the federal government had implemented the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision by treating married same-sex couples the same as married opposite-sex couples to the greatest extent possible under the law as it then stood. With the Supreme Court’s new ruling that the Constitution requires marriage equality, we have now taken the further step of ensuring that all federal benefits will be available equally to married couples in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Territories. The department will continue to work across the administration to fulfill our commitment to equal treatment for all Americans, including equal access to the benefits of marriage that the Obergefell decision guarantees.”

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Sen. Marco Rubio: I Do Not Support A Constitutional Amendment Banning Marriage Equality

Sen. Marco Rubio, currently in the hunt for the 2016 GOP nomination for president, put some daylight between himself and other Republican hopefuls by saying he does NOT support amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriages after the historic 5-4 SCOTUS decision.

“I don’t support a constitutional amendment. I don’t believe the federal government should be in the marriage regulation business,” the Florida senator told reporters after a speech the Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa.

“We can continue to disagree with it. Perhaps a future court will change that decision, in much the same way as it’s changed other decisions in the past. But my opinion is unchanged, that marriage should continue to be defined as one man and one woman. The decision is what it is, and that’s what we’ll live under,” he said.

The chances of a constitutional amendment being passed by Congress and two-thirds of states is practically zero with support for marriage equality at or over 60% in the U.S.

And by the way, the haters are really mad at Rubio now.  From anti-gay hate group leader Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association:

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1st Circuit Court Of Appeals Rules Puerto Rico’s Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional

When a marriage equality case went before the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year regarding Puerto Rico’s ban on same-sex marriage, the court put the case on hold, deciding to wait for the (then) impending SCOTUS ruling.

Today, the 1st Circuit ruled (not surprisingly) that Puerto Rico’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.

From Lambda Legal:

Today’s decision provides further recognition of the dignity and equality of LGBT people in Puerto Rico. We applaud the First Circuit for recognizing that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban is unconstitutional, and reversing the lower court ruling. We also commend the Puerto Rico government for joining in the call to end the marriage ban.

Certainly, after the historic ruling from the Supreme Court, this ruling from the First Circuit was not unexpected. There remains no legal or moral justification for forcing same-sex couples in Puerto Rico to wait any longer to have their love and commitment recognized by the state.

The Governor of Puerto Rico already signed an executive order on June 26 that marriages will begin 15 days after the Supreme Court ruling, but now that the First Circuit has agreed that the marriage ban is unconstitutional, same-sex couples should be able to marry now. To do otherwise is to put form over substance.

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Updated Marriage Equality Map – July 7, 2015

As Kansas finally embraces the truth about the law of the land (who imagined Kansas would be last?) regarding same-sex marriage in the United States, the folks at Wikipedia who oversee the landscape of marriage equality have just posted the updated, new, most gorgeous all-blue map of the country.

Did you ever think blue could look so, so good?

Take a minute and take that in 🙂

Forward.

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Mike Huckabee: Problem With Marriage Is People Think It’s About Love

GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appeared on CNN this weekend where he espoused the notion that the problem with marriage today is that people are being selfish and marrying for love.

Asked whether same-sex marriage or high divorce rates are a bigger threat to the institution, Huckabee responded that the question was like asking which wing of an airplane is more important.

“Regardless, heterosexual marriage is largely in trouble today because people see it as a selfish means of pleasing self, rather than a committed relationship in which the focus is on meeting the needs of the partner,” he said. “That sense of selfishness and the redefinition of love as to something that is purely sentimental and emotional, has been destructive.”

The Huckster’s comment about both wings of a plane and asking which wing is more important is an impotent analogy. If you’re so “concerned” about marriage itself, there are far, far more heterosexual marriages failing than gay/lesbian couples marrying; estimates indicate LGBTs make up around 10% of population, so do the math. Nine times for opposite-sex marriages impacting families. If Huck is so worries about 90% of families, why isn’t he talking nine times more about divorce?

In the segment, Huckabee also comments on his recent call for term limits for Supreme Court justices, but makes it clear it’s just a vague notion he’s come up with. He has no suggestion for what the term limits would be.

The whole point of having supreme court justices serve for life is to help insulate them from the whims of politics and call the law as they see it. That’s the way the constitution was written and actually it’s a good thing. It’s one of the checks and balances that makes our country functional.

Regarding Huck’s reference of Thomas Jefferson: the man owned slaves. John Adams thought we should have a King. The personal views of the founders are interesting, but not relevant as a matter of law today.

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Marriage News Watch: Matt Baume Wraps It Up

Matt Baume gives his final wrap up of the weekly Marriage News Watch from the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Only a few isolated locations in the country remain where same-sex couples can’t get married.

Those opposed to equality are getting increasingly desperate, with stall tactics and long-shot legal games.

We’re also likely to see renewed attacks on other civil rights, so there’s still going to be a lot of work to do in order to protect equality.

But the story of marriage is changing from something we’re fighting to achieve to something we’re actually living. That’s why as of this week I’m wrapping up Marriage News Watch.

Big thanks to AFER and Matt for the quick 2 minutes updates on the marriage equality fight these last few years. I know my readers have found the bullet point reports easy to watch, take in and pass along. As Matt says, even just the simple act of watching, commenting and sharing these videos has helped raise visibility of LGBTs, which is key to achieving equal rights.

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Episcopal Church Votes To Approve Religious Same-Sex Marriages

Just days after the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, leaders of the U.S. Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to allow clergy to wed same-sex couples.

The decision once again puts the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion at the forefront of mainstream Christian acceptance of gays and lesbians.

Presented at the church’s triennial General Assembly on Wednesday, the resolution strikes the words “man and woman” from a marriage canon and replaces them with gender-neutral language.

Clergy, however, will not be compelled to perform same-sex marriages under the resolution. A clause in the revised canon states it “shall be within the discretion of any member of the clergy of this church to decline to solemnize or bless any marriage.”

The vote on Wednesday represents the latest move by the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, which claims roughly 2 million members, to embrace the LGBT community.

(from Buzzfeed)

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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Runs Out Of Excuses To Block Same-Sex Marriage

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has dragged his feet using every tiny possible excuse to avoid allowing the rulings of SCOTUS and the Fifth Circuit Court on marriage equality.

The latest excuse last night was that the state would not recognize same-sex marriages until the original ruling by the district court was rescinded.

The Fifth Circuit set a deadline of July 17th to act, BUT the district court moved on it.

From the ruling:

IT IS ORDERED that this Court’s Order and Reasons and the accompanying Judgment dated September 3, 2014, are hereby recalled and rescinded; IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Article XII, Section 15 of the Louisiana Constitution, Article 89 of the Louisiana Civil Code, and laws enacted pursuant thereto, violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and may not be enforced against the Plaintiffs or any other same-sex couple; IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Article XII, Section 15 of the Louisiana Constitution, Article 3520(B) of the Louisiana Civil Code, and laws enacted pursuant thereto, violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and may not be enforced against the Plaintiffs or any other same-sex couple.

New Orleans Advocate says that as of Noon today all Louisiana Parishes are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

And – DONE.