Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: “Texas is pushing a proposed law that would let the state overrule the Supreme Court. There’s just one problem: they can’t actually do that. Alabama judges have decided that they don’t have to obey federal courts either, except that in reality, they do. And Oklahoma politician wants to switch from marriage licenses to marriage certificates, which would accomplish …

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OKLAHOMA: Sally Kern’s “Ex-Gay” Torture Bill Dies Without Coming To A Vote

Via press release from NCLR: This afternoon, a bill introduced to the Oklahoma State House by Representative Sally Kern that would legalize anti-LGBT therapy died without coming to a vote. The defeat follows months of extensive grassroots organizing by national and state organizations working in coalition to educate parents and families about the ineffective and harmful practices of conversion therapy …

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OKLAHOMA: Democratic Rep Introduces Amendment Requiring Anti-Gay Businesses To Post Signs That Say So

Democratic Oklahoma House Rep. Emily Virgin yesterday introduced a perfect amendment to the bill that would legalize anti-gay discrimination by businesses. Via Raw Story: “Any person not wanting to participate in any of the activities set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race of either party to the marriage shall post notice …

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OKLAHOMA: State House Votes To Do Away With All Marriage Licensing

By a vote of 67-24, yesterday the Oklahoma House voted to end the issuing of all marriage licenses statewide. Via Tulsa World: House Bill 1125, by Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell, would instead require those officiating marriage ceremonies to file after-the-fact “certificates of marriage” with court clerks’ offices. Alternatively, couples could file affidavits of common law marriage. Russ said his bill …

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OKLAHOMA: State Sen. Joseph Silk Says Gays Don’t Want Others To Have Freedom

From his campaign website: A bill that I recently introduced (SB 440) would protect businesses and religious entities who run their organizations according to their religious beliefs from being forced to violate their religious convictions in their businesses. This has outraged the LGBT community and they are crying discrimination while making themselves the only “target”, in reality it has nothing …

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OKLAHOMA: Christian Activist Christine Weick Disrupts Another Muslim Service

From Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate: Muslims visited the Oklahoma State Capitol Friday with government leaders, and were met with dozens of Anti-Islamic protesters. The day began like it was planned for the more than 100 Muslims. But around 2 o’clock, as dozens of them knelt down to pray, a Christian protester shouted out the Lord’s prayer, seemingly trying to drown …

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OKLAHOMA: Bill To Prohibit Regulation Of Ex-Gay Torture Advances In House

With an eye on what has happened in California and New Jersey, today an Oklahoma House committee approved state Rep. Sally Kern’s bill to prohibit the state from regulating “ex-gay” torture therapy. Kern, the chair of the committee, claims her bill is the first of its kind in the nation. Her bill is expected to face strong opposition before the …

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OKLAHOMA: House Advances Bill To Fire Officials Who Issue Marriage Licenses

Via the Associated Press: Judges or court clerks who issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples would lose their jobs under a bill that has been approved by a House committee. The House Judiciary and Civil Procedure Committee voted 5-3 on Tuesday for the “Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act.” The bill now proceeds to the full House for a vote. …

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: “There’s a big fight underway right now in Alabama, with a Judge overturning a marriage ban and state officials refusing to obey his order to issue licenses. Anti-gay politicians are threatening to ban all marriage licenses if the Supreme Court rules in favor of equality. And one lawmaker even wants to send clerks to jail if they issue …

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OKLAHOMA: State Rep. Sally Kern Introduces Three New Anti-Gay Bills

Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern hasn’t been in the headlines lately and yesterday she acted to change that by introducing three new anti-gay bills. House Bill 1599 is dubbed the “Preservation and Sovereignty of Marriage Act.” House Bill 1598 is called the “Freedom to Obtain Conversion Therapy Act.” A third measure would allow businesses to refuse to provide services to …

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OKLAHOMA: GOP Lawmaker Introduces Bill To End All Marriage Licenses

Via the Oklahoman: Marriage licenses would become a thing of the past in Oklahoma under a bill filed by state Rep. Todd Russ. The Cordell Republican says he wants to protect court clerks from having to issue licenses to same-sex couples. He doesn’t want these workers put in the position of having to condone or facilitate same-sex marriage. Under his …

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Former “Ex-Gay” Leader Marries Man

John Smid, former leader of the “ex-gay” group Love In Action, married a man in Oklahoma on Sunday. Via the Memphis Flyer: Smid has been living as an out gay man for several years now, and he’s been in a relationship with [Larry] McQueen for one year. Gay marriage just became legal in Oklahoma last month. The couple live in …

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Drug-Addled Christian “Zealot” Beheads Teen For Practicing Witchcraft

Via Patheos: Christian terror? In a grisly murder an Oklahoma college student with strong Christian beliefs nearly decapitates a young man because the victim practiced witchcraft. Isaiah Zoar Marin, 21, is charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Jacob Andrew Crockett, 19. Marin is accused of using a “long knife or sword” to kill Crockett. According to a court …

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: “Over the last week, states have been winning the freedom to marry at such a fast pace that it’s hard to keep up. AFER has conclusively won its marriage case. Cases in four other states have ended in victory. The Ninth Circuit has expanded marriage in several more states. It’s been a pretty terrible week for the National …

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Oklahoma Gov Has The SCOTUS Sadz

“The people of Oklahoma have the right to determine how marriage is defined. In 2004, Oklahomans exercised that right, voting by a margin of 3-1 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The will of the people has now been overridden by unelected federal justices, accountable to no one. That is both undemocratic and a …

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Tenth Circuit Court Lifts Oklahoma Stay

Details: A gay couple sued a county clerk in Oklahoma for failing to issue them a marriage license shortly after state voters approved a ban on same-sex marriage in 2004, the Associated Press reports. A federal judge overturned the ban last December. The Oklahoma couple plans to wed Monday in Tulsa, according to the Associated Press. The Cleveland County Court …

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BREAKING: SCOTUS Denies Review In All Seven Marriage Equality Cases, Marriage Comes To Five More States

Via USA Today: The Supreme Court refused to get involved in the national debate over same-sex marriage Monday, leaving intact lower court rulings that will legalize the practice in 11 additional states. The unexpected decision by the justices, announced without further explanation, immediately affects five states in which federal appeals courts had struck down bans against gay marriage: Virginia, Indiana, …

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Harlem Hate Pastor: Oklahoma Beheading Victim Was Killed For Being A “Sodomite”

In one of his typically raving and spittle-flecked rants posted today, Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning declared that the victim in last week’s beheading in Oklahoma was targeted because the killer “knew she was a sodomite.” (Manning, as you may know, regularly posts church signs calling for homosexuals to be stoned to death.) No media reports have identified the …

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Red-Caped Catholic Loons: Ban Satanist Events Because Religious Freedom

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Which Legal Team Will Get To SCOTUS?

The New York Times reports on the “dueling” going on to be the legal team to argue for same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court. In a half-dozen briefs filed in recent weeks, some of the best lawyers in the nation spent many pages arguing that their case was the right one in which to establish a nationwide right to same-sex …

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