Marriage Equality

Same-Sex Marriages Begin In Cuba After National Vote

The Associated Press reports: Serious, standing upright and dressed in long gala dresses – despite the midday Cuban heat – Lisset and Liusba quietly walk up the ten steps of the notary office, their hands clenched and shaking. Less than a few feet ahead walk their two young daughters. Nearly an hour later, when they walked out of the doors, …

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New GOTV Ad From GLAAD: Protect Marriage Equality

Via press release: GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is releasing two urgent new ads about the stakes for LGBTQ Americans in the upcoming midterm elections, including the threat to marriage equality, to urge LGBTQ people and allies to vote. GLAAD created the 30-second spot “Marriage Threat” in collaboration with Family Equality. The ads premiere October 12th with …

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SCOTUS Rules Prop 8 Trial Video Can Be Made Public

ABC News reports: Video of a landmark 2010 trial that cleared the way for gay marriage in California can be made public, the culmination of a years-long legal fight. The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would not intervene in the dispute over the recordings, leaving in place lower court rulings permitting the video’s release. The trial more than a …

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POLL: Voters Prefer Senators Who Back Marriage Bill

Changing America reports: Senators that don’t support the Respect for Marriage Act or are undecided on the bill could find themselves in a tough spot come November, with voters in key battleground states more likely to support candidates that have backed the measure to codify same-sex and interracial marriage. Majorities of voters in nine states – Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, …

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72% Of Utahns Back Marriage Equality: “Seismic Shift”

The Deseret News reports: As the Senate considers legislation to protect same-sex marriage, a new poll shows nearly three-fourths of Utahns support legal same-sex marriage. The new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey found 72% of residents agree that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. The poll …

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Court: Kim Davis Does Not Have “Qualified Immunity”

Law & Crime reports: Kim Davis, the former county clerk from Kentucky who refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples after marriage equality was the law of the land, does not have qualified immunity, a federal court of appeals ruled on Thursday. Davis violated the “clearly established” rights of two couples – David Ermold and David Moore; and James …

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Cuba Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage In National Vote

The BBC reports: Cuba has voted to legalise same-sex marriage in a national referendum. About two-thirds of the population voted to approve reforms in a new Family Code, which will also allow surrogate pregnancies and give gay couples the right to adopt children. It marks a big moment for Cuba, which saw gay people persecuted and sent to work camps …

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Cuba Urges “Yes” Vote In Gay Marriage Referendum

Reuters reports: Cubans will cast ballots this Sunday on whether to approve a new ‘family code’ that would legalize gay marriage and boost women’s rights, with the government urging citizens to vote “yes” despite anger over the worst economic crisis in decades. The Communist-run government – long the vanguard of Latin America’s left – has in the last week flooded …

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Senate Marriage Bill Vote Delayed Until After Midterms

Politico reports: The Senate won’t vote on protecting same-sex marriage until after the midterm elections, said the bill’s chief sponsor, Tammy Baldwin. “I’m still very confident that they bill will pass but we will be taking the bill up later, after the election,” the Wisconsin senator said after a Democratic caucus lunch. Democrats had planned to hold a vote as …

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Pence Calls Threat To Marriage Equality A “Distraction”

Real Clear Politics reports: Justice Clarence Thomas who wrote that the high court “should reconsider” past rulings that relied on a legal doctrine known as “substantive due process” to codify rights to contraception and same-sex marriage. When RealClearPolitics asked if the Supreme Court should revisit those cases, Griswold and Obergefell in particular, Pence parted company with Thomas. “I have enormous …

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Schumer: Marriage Vote To Happen “In Coming Weeks”

Politico reports: Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage in the coming weeks, forcing Republicans to take a stance ahead of the midterm elections. “A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks,” the Senate majority leader told reporters Wednesday. Schumer’s announcement comes as Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) …

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Cruz: Marriage Bill Is An Attack On Religious Liberty

The Texas Tribune reports: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said he will vote against a bill to codify same-sex marriage protections into federal law, ahead of a potential showdown in the Senate over one of the few remaining Democratic priorities expected to get a vote before the midterm elections. On an episode of his podcast Tuesday, Cruz said the bill would …

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Dems May Link Marriage Bill To Must-Pass Funding Bill

CBS News reports: Senior Senate Democrats have been considering linking legislation on marriage equality and the continuing resolution to fund the government, a Hill Democratic source tells CBS News. It’s a move that could complicate both the passage of the bill protecting the right to same-sex marriage, passed with bipartisan support in the House, and government funding. Democrats in particular …

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Graham: “States Should Decide On Issue Of Marriage”

Axios reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday he believes recognition of same-sex marriage marriage should be decided on a state-by-state basis and not by the federal government. Graham said he believe the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize same-sex marriage would not be overturned, but that doing so “would be up to the court.” …

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Senate Vote On Marriage Bill To Come In September

Reuters reports: The U.S. Senate is likely to delay a vote on protecting gay marriage until September, as Democrats push forward with a $430 billion climate change and drug pricing bill, which could cost them Republican support for the marriage measure, aides and advocates said. Proponents of the bill worry that waiting could cause support to dwindle as opponents ramp …

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War Spurs Push For Marriage Equality In Ukraine

The New York Times reports: The war is adding impetus to a drive to legalize gay marriage, with a petition recently reaching the desk of President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for same-sex partners to have the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to marry. “At this time, every day can be the last,” says the petition. The petition’s author …

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Vance Sides With Hate Group Against Marriage Bill

The Ohio Capital Journal reports: Republican Ohio U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance would oppose legislation to codify the right to marriage for same-sex couples, according to Mission: America, a Columbus based non-profit which bills itself as a ministry. In a joint statement with Ohio Value Voters, Mission: America president Linda Harvey criticized the Ohio Republican congressmen who voted to pass …

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Sen. James Lankford: The “Far-Left” Will Use Marriage Bill “As A Weapon To Crush Anyone Who Opposes It”

From the Family Research Council: During today’s episode of “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins,” Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) announced for the first time that he will vote against H.R. 8404, marketed as the “Respect for Marriage” Act, if it comes to the Senate floor. “The far-Left is trying to say we want to be able to push this to the …

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Collins Is Concerned Manchin Doomed Marriage Bill

The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Susan Collins, one of a handful of GOP senators working to garner support in her party for a bill to codify gay marriage, said the Democrats’ surprise embrace of a tax and climate change bill made her job much harder. “I just think the timing could not have been worse and it came totally out …

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Republican Rep Gives Celebratory Speech At Gay Son’s Wedding After Voting Against Same-Sex Marriage Bill

“First of all, obviously, we hope right from the beginning, it’s all about having a healthy child. But it’s about being healthy. It’s about them being healthy. We hope for safety. We’re hoping that they find their way, find opportunity, they find inspiration. “And as they grow and as they get a little older, we also hope and pray they’re …

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