LGBTQ news and entertainment
Montana’s same-sex marriage ban has been challenged by four couples with the request that the judge rule without going to court:
ACLU Montana legal director Jim Taylor says the 9th Circuit’s recent decision to strike down similar bans elsewhere in the West should convince U.S. District Judge Brian Morris to rule in their favor.
Montana is part of the 9th Circuit and district judges use decisions from the appellate court as precedents for their rulings.
The state of North Carolina has informed magistrates — agents of the state whose responsibilities include performing civil marriages — that there are no special anti-gay discrimination rights.
The state has issued a memo saying the magistrates must comply with the law and perform marriages for same-sex couples, or they will be disciplined.
From the Washington Post:
North Carolina magistrates have been directed to perform civil marriages for same-sex couples or face suspension or dismissal from their state jobs.
A memo to state magistrates Wednesday said they would be violating their oaths of office if they refuse to marry gay or lesbian couples.
The directive came after a magistrate in Pasquotank County on Monday refused to marry two men, citing religious objections.
Some magistrates in Alamance County also said they wouldn’t marry gay couples.
A federal judge last week struck down North Carolina’s same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional.
Public officials in states which have legal same-sex marriage cannot treat gay or lesbian couples differently.
Under state law, a magistrate who fails to perform his or her legal duties can face removal or suspension.
I realized I’ve been posting the “progress of marriage equality” maps from Wikipedia showing the beautiful blue states where gay and lesbian couples enjoy the freedom to marry.
But then I thought “what if folks really like red???”
So, for all the red lovers, here’s the current state of same-sex marriage in the US in rich, vibrant red from the folks at Freedom To Marry.
See? I do like both sides 🙂
Click the pic for an enlarged view.
Set to the fab Sara Bareilles’ “I Choose You” – check out the shiny happy people who were among the first in Boise, Idaho to exercise their freedom to marry.
Congrats kids! Happy Dance Time!
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted the state of Alaska a stay on a district court’s ruling that the state’s same-sex marriage ban in unconstitutional until Friday, October 17th at noon to allow Alaska an opportunity to seek a stay from the United States Supreme Court.
Should SCOTUS deny the request, the stay dissolves at 12:00 p.m. PDT on October 17, 2014.
Read the ruling here.
The domino effect of the US Supreme Court’s decision to NOT review any of the same-sex marriage rulings from appellate courts has become apparent as states under the jurisdiction of those courts now are bound by the Circuit Court rulings.
That includes South Carolina, who is covered under the jurisdiction of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals who held that Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.
However, South Carolina Governor Haley and Attorney General Wilson continue to apply the marriage ban as if nothing had happened.
So….
Today Lambda Legal, in partnership with South Carolina Equality, filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court of South Carolina arguing that South Carolina is obligated to allow same-sex couples to marry.
“The Fourth Circuit’s decision means that same-sex couples in South Carolina should be shopping for a caterer, not a lawyer. Governor Haley and Attorney General Wilson cannot continue to ignore the rule of law. Fortunately, they have run out of cards to play – we’re urging the court to allow same-sex couples in South Carolina to marry without any further delay,” said Beth Littrell, Senior Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office based in Atlanta. “The state doesn’t have any credible arguments for a court in South Carolina to entertain.”
“The Governor and Attorney General are playing politics with our families and it’s shameful,” said South Carolina Equality lawyer Nekki Shutt, partner at Callison Tighe & Robinson. “Instead of celebrating and planning weddings, same-sex couples all over South Carolina are holding their collective breath – and they have been waiting long enough.”
(via press release)
Stephen Colbert covered the recent news regarding marriage equality last night highlighting the latest state to join the majority – Alaska.
“Gay marriage is legal in Alaska! Gay couples will have the right to celebrate the traditional Alaskan way – by having Bristol Palin cold-cock one of their guests.”
Colbert also covered the new attitude the Vatican seems to have about the gays.
This just makes my day.
Congratulations Idaho!
Couples getting married outside the courthouse #idpol pic.twitter.com/FhtAwF34vv
— Kimberlee Kruesi (@kkruesi) October 15, 2014
Amber and Rachel. Among first with same sex marriage license. pic.twitter.com/rNS1pGGPjc— Karen Zatkulak (@KTVBKaren) October 15, 2014
One of the first same-sex marriage licenses issued in Idaho. Note the Spouse/Spouse section at the top. #idpol pic.twitter.com/1cXc57UWMo— Scott Graf (@ScottGrafRadio) October 15, 2014
#MarriageEquality is official in #idaho. Huge crowd outside courthouse. #ssm #idpol pic.twitter.com/g3mvM9Fi9f— Christina Marfice (@IPTchristina) October 15, 2014
From this past weekend, watch Freedom To Marry head Evan Wolfson calmly and methodically deconstruct all of hate group leader Brian Brown’s misleading lies and exaggerations against same-sex marriage in an hour-long call-in show on C-SPAN.
Best moment of the hour is at 43:00 – Wolfson calls out Brown for participating at the recent anti-gay Kremlin conference.
Wolfson: “Mr. Brown was in Russia, people can go and look it up, for something called the World Conference [Congress] Of Families, that endorsed a resolution calling on other countries to adopt the same kind of vicious, brutal, sweeping anti-gay law that Putin’s Russia just enacted that has launched a wave of thuggery and beatings in the street and discrimination against gay people in that country that is now seeking to export that kind of attack. That’s not about marriage. That’s about beating up and in some cases killing and licensing thuggery. Mr. Brown was part of that conference and that’s part of the work he is doing.”
Brown: “That’s absolutely wrong.”
Wolfson: “People can look it up. “
Brown: “His facts are absolutely wrong. All people can look up are Evan Wolfson’s and Human Rights Campaign’s absolute lies and slurs.”
Wolfson is excellent at staying on point and addressing the real concerns and issues regarding marriage equality.
Watch below.
Gov. Butch Otter has issued a statement acknowledging his state has run out of options and same-sex marriage will begin in Idaho beginning tomorrow morning at 10AM MDT.
“The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its mandate for enforcement of decisions overturning the Idaho Constitution’s prohibition on same-sex marriage effective at 10 a.m. MDT, 9 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, October 15.
“I continue to believe that the federal courts are mistaken in abandoning the sanctity of traditional marriage and in undermining the will of Idaho voters and each state’s right to define marriage. But we are civil society that respects the rule of law. We have done all we can through the courts for now to defend traditional marriage in Idaho.”
You’ll note the use of “for now” in that last sentence.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden’s spokesman, Todd Dvorak, told BuzzFeed News, “Attorney General [Wasden] currently has no plans for filing any legal challenge today or tomorrow.”