Tag: same-sex marriage

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Mat Staver Won’t Follow Marriage Equality Ruling Just As He Wouldn’t Turn Jews Over To Nazis

Mat Staver of the anti-gay Liberty Counsel spoke at an Orlando Tea People function this week where he said if SCOTUS rules in favor of marriage equality he would not “accept that as the rule of law.”

Via Right Wing Watch:

“I know from the natural created order that God made male and female, a mom and dad, husbands and wives as the first foundation of family,” he said. “And I don’t care if it is a 9-0 decision, they can’t change that and they won’t change that. And if they come out with a decision that is contrary to God’s natural created order, I personally will advocate disobedience to it … and collectively, we cannot accept that as the rule of law.”

“You also have to be ready to pay the consequences,” Staver continued, “because the civil government wrath is going to be poured out on you. But as a believer, you cannot obey something that is contrary to God’s law. And we would easily say, well, what would happen if the government forced you turn over a Jew in Nazi Germany? All of us would say we wouldn’t do that, we wouldn’t listen to that. Well, we’re about ready to walk into the moment”

Wait – what? What does two people being allowed to marry have to do with turning jews over to the Nazis? That analogy just took a turn into the underbush on the way to Poughkeepsie.

I personally don’t care what Staver would or would not “accept as rule of law.” If SCOTUS gives the nod to same-sex marriage, it WILL be the rule of law in the US.

Period.

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Alabama: House Of Representatives Approves Bill Allowing Officials To Refuse To Officiate Weddings

Clearly aimed at same-sex marriage – a hot button issue in the state today, the Alabama House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill by a vote of 69 – 25 that would allow those empowered to officiate weddings to legally opt-out of performing weddings they felt offended their religious beliefs.

Although the bill does not directly address same-sex marriage, opponents said the legislation targeted gay and lesbian couples and could allow religiously-affiliated organizations, such as hospitals, to deny benefits and services to same-sex couples.

“We’re here because we want to condemn a population we don’t understand and we don’t like,” said Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, the only openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature. “It doesn’t change anything, but it will help (lawmakers) in districts show they will stand up against same sex-sex marriage.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, said the legislation — introduced amid a statewide controversy over the legality of same-sex marriage — was not about same-sex marriage.

“I received several phone calls from constituents in St. Clair County, primarily ministers and judges who asked me whether the mere fact an individual is authorized to perform a marriage ceremony (means) are they compelled to perform a marriage ceremony,” he said in introducing the bill.

The legislation says “no church, synagogue, society or religious organization” can be sued over a refusal to provide accommodations or services “related to the recognitions, solemnization or celebration of a marriage.”

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European Parliament Says Same-Sex Marriage Is A Human Right

The European Parliament on Thursday called on EU member states to recognise civil unions and same-sex marriage as a civil and human right and urged governments and EU institutions to contribute to further discussion in this area.

The call was contained in the 2013 global human rights and democracy report, approved by the assembly with 390 ayes, 151 nays and 97 abstentions.

In it, the European Parliament acknowledged “the legalisation of marriage and civil unions between same-sex couples in a growing number of countries around the world, currently 17” and encouraged “the EU institutions and member states to further contribute towards reflection on the recognition of marriage or civil unions between people of the same sex as a political and social issue and a matter of civil and human rights”.

(from GazettedelSud)

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Poll: 59% Of Americans Support Same-Sex Marriage

According to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 59% of Americans support marriage equality, while only 33% oppose (8% said “Depends/Not sure”).

This marks a dramatic shift in the past ten years alone.

In 2004, only 30 percent of Americans said they supported same-sex marriage, while 62 percent disagreed. Half of those polled at the time said they strongly opposed allowing gays and lesbians to marry.

Democratic pollster Fred Yang noted how quickly public opinion has shifted on the issue, even compared to interracial marriage, which is now almost universally accepted.

“It took about 25 years for interracial marriage to get from 30 percent support to 60 percent,” he said. “It took same-sex marriage ten years.”

The share of the public backing same-sex marriage has even jumped from just two years ago, when 53 percent of Americans backed it and 42 percent did not.

The jump in the last two years comes, in part, from three segments of society: Republicans (13% increase), senior (7% increase) and Hispanics (18% increase)

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Marriage News Watch – March 9, 2015

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights:

The Alabama Supreme Court just went rogue on marriage, and that has George Takei pretty annoyed.

Hundreds of Republicans just asked the U.S. Supreme Court to enact full federal equality.

And the National Organization for Marriage’s losing streak continues with yet another slapdown in court.

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Sen. Rand Paul: Same-Sex Marriage “Offends Myself And A Lot Of People”

Appearing on Fox News yesterday, Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky told Bret Baier that allowing gays and lesbians to marry “offends myself and a lot of people.”

“I’m for tradition marriage,” Paul said. “I think marriage is between a man and a woman. Ultimately, we could have fixed this a long time ago if we just allowed contracts between adults. We didn’t have to call it marriage, which offends myself and a lot of people.”

“I think having competing contracts that would have given them equivalency before the law would have solved a lot of these problems, and it may be where we’re still headed.”

Clearly, Sen. Paul (a probable candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination) is of a mind that “separate but equal” would suit him better than true marriage equality. But, as everyone knows, “separate but equal” is never “equal.”

A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Ian Sams, issued this statement:

“Saying marriage equality ‘offends’ him gives us yet another glimpse of Paul’s true colors — a restrictive, retro social agenda that sets back LGBT rights and questions longstanding gains in civil rights. Support for marriage equality is at record highs, and most Americans now live in states where it’s legal. What’s truly offensive is Rand Paul’s insistence on being stuck in the past and failing to support equal rights for LGBT Americans.”

(source)

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Same-Sex Marriage Support In America Reaches 56%

According to the General Social Survey, one of the most comprehensive and widest ranging surveys covering social attitudes in America for over 40 years, 56% of Americans support the rights of gays and lesbians to marry.

This shows an increase of 45 points since the question was first asked in 1988.

The biggest leap in support comes from Republicans, whose now stands at 45% – a 14 point increase since 2012 alone.

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Attorney General Eric Holder: “Nothing justifies excluding same-sex couples from the institution of marriage”

Attorney General Eric Holder

In an op-ed for USA Today, US Attorney General Eric Holder makes clear his – and the administration’s – support for marriage equality across the United States:

This week, the Justice Department will file a brief setting forth our position that state bans on same-sex marriage violate the fundamental constitutional guarantee of “equal protection of the laws.” It is clear that the time has come to recognize that gay and lesbian people deserve robust protection from discrimination.

Nothing justifies excluding same-sex couples from the institution of marriage. Denying them the right to marry serves only to demean them and their children, to degrade the dignity of their families and to deny them the full, free and equal participation in American life to which every citizen is entitled.

Marriage bans inflict concrete harms that touch nearly every aspect of daily life for gay and lesbian couples. The bans intersect with issues as varied as workers’ compensation, taxation and inheritance, posing challenges to basic financial security. Same-sex couples living in states with bans too often face obstacles to adopting and raising children together. And restrictions on medical decision-making and hospital visitation impose devastating burdens during the moments when a partner is needed most.

Read the entire essay at USA Today here.

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SCOTUS: 300 Prominent Republicans Sign Amicus Brief In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

A “friend of the court” brief in support of marriage equality has been signed and filed at the U.S. Supreme Court by more than 300 high profile Republican lawmakers, operatives and consultants.

From Time:

The amicus brief, organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, was filed for the four same-sex marriage cases the Court will hear on April 28 that could legalize the unions nationwide. In 2013, Mehlman marshaled a similar effort for the case that overturned California’s Proposition 8, which had banned same-sex marriage in the state.

Among the signatories are 23 current and former Republicans members of the House of Representatives and Senate and seven current and former Governors. Sens. Susan Collins and Mark Kirk have signed onto the brief, as has Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Other notables include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and billionaire GOP mega-donor David Koch.

SCOTUS has scheduled oral arguments in the cases regarding same-sex marriage from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals for April 28th.

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Handy Dandy Field Guide For Spotting Homophobic Laws

Our intrepid Matt Baume brings us this handy-dandy Field Guide for spotting and stopping the sneaky new homophobic laws cloaking themselves from coast to coast.

They’re stealthily stealing civil rights from everyone — gay and straight. Don’t wake up to discover all of your civil rights have been gobbled up in the night!

Part 2 continues with ways to stand up to the menacing monsters.