Tag Archives: marriage equality

The Texas Attorney General has blocked the divorce of the first gay couple to test state laws on the issue. Attorney General Greg Abbott said that since Texas law prohibits same-sex marriages and civil unions, the men could not be divorced in Texas since their union is not recognized to exist in Texas. The men, who have asked that their …

Hawaii is on the verge of becoming the next state to grant civil unions to same-sex couples. A majority in the state House has signed on to a bill that would legalize civil unions, giving the issue a genuine chance of advancing this session after years of stagnation. Same-sex couples who obtain a license could have their civil union performed …

“I know Kirsten Gillibrand very well and worked for her election to Congress. She has been a steadfast supporter of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and same-sex couples. I am optimistic that her appointment to the U.S. Senate and her voice in that body will further our community’s cause and bring us that much closer to …

Putting aside any doubts some may have had, Senator-to-be Kirsten Gillibrand just announced her support for marriage equality during a nationally televised press conference with NY Gov. David Paterson.

The Swedish parliament has been presented legislation that will allow gays to marry in civil ceremonies or in the Lutheran Church, which until 2000 was the official church of Sweden. “The main proposal in the motion is that … a person’s gender will no longer have any bearing on whether they can marry. The marriage law and other laws concerning …

Former National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman sends us the below Op/Ed piece on the Proposition 8 battle. Foreman is now program director at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. This essay is rather long and I have linked below to other LGBT blogs where it can be read in full, which I recommend. California’s …

Throughout the Proposition 8 battle, the No On 8 campaign refused to publicly identify its executive committee members, much to the consternation of many in the LGBT press. In December, San Francisco-based activist/troublemaker Michael Petrelis filed one of those fancy liberal Freedom Of Information requests with the state. And yesterday he got the names. According to Petrelis, the names were …

Basing its decision on an earlier win for gay couples married out of state, a New York appellate court today reaffirmed that the state will recognize those marriages. A New York State appellate court today ruled that the valid marriages of lesbian and gay couples entered into outside of New York must be recognized in this state. This decision comes …

The legality of gay marriage is being cited as a defense in the case against Canadian polygamists. Canada’s decision to legalize gay marriage has paved the way for polygamy to be legal as well, a defense lawyer said Wednesday as the two leaders of rival polygamous communities made their first court appearance. The case is the first to test Canada’s …

A gay couple in Dallas may create precedent-setting law with their petition to divorce. A gay Dallas man who married his husband in 2006 when they lived in Massachusetts has filed what is believed to be Texas’ first same-sex divorce petition. The petition, filed Wednesday, Jan. 21 in Dallas County’s 302nd District Court, sets up a legal fight over whether …

An anti-gay Republican group (are there any others?) is organizing opposition in Maine to last week’s announcement of a coming bill to approve marriage equality in the legislature. A Republican political action committee said it’s organizing a grassroots effort to defeat a gay marriage bill that was introduced last week. The Maine Republican Project is opposing a bill to repeal …

“The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them. I do …

Steven Greenstreet of the American News Project reports on the investigation into the Mormon Church and their financial involvement in Yes On 8. From his email to me: Mormon leaders broadcast an hour long training video via satellite to hundreds of churches in 5 states in the weeks leading up to the election. While only 4 minutes of the video …

“We lost the Prop 8 battle because we ran a dreadful campaign run by the usual craven Human Rights Campaign cowards and incompetents. We deserved to lose. We do not deserve to get a do-over via court power. There are some interesting legal and constitutional arguments here that are not as easily dismissed as George [Will] might like. But as …

Two weeks ago a controversy erupted when activist Robin Tyler leaked word that next week’s marriage equality summit organized by Equality California would bar press and bloggers from a portion of the proceedings. Many blogs (including this one) expressed disappointment with that decision, although some blogs accused us publicly of having gotten the story wrong. (Which we didn’t.) Today Rex …

A coalition of more than 50 labor unions representing over two million workers has filed an amicus brief with the state of California calling for the overturn of Proposition 8. In their amicus brief, the unions argue that Proposition 8 would amend discrimination into the state constitution and divide Californians into “suspect classifications.” “It really does establish the potential for …

“There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you. It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while …

Equality Maine held a press conference today to announce a marriage equality bill to be presented to the state legislature. At a State House press conference today, EqualityMaine and several coalition partners unveiled a bill that would extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in Maine. The bill, titled “An Act to Prevent Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious …

Freedom To Marry reports that a good way for politicians to ensure their re-election is to support marriage equality. According to their new study (PDF), 100% of the 499 legislators who voted to end bans on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and California have been re-elected since 2005. Contrary to some political expectations, voting to support the freedom …

Interactive Google maps showing the amounts, names and locations of Prop 8 donors are now online for three locations including Salt Lake City. From the conservative legal site Volokh Conspiracy: Proposition 8 Donor Maps for San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Orange County, are now posted at EightMaps.com. Proposition 8, of course, was the proposition that amended the California Constitution …