Tag Archives: equal rights

PHOTOS: Gay couples marry in downtown Dallas

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Couples line up in Founders Plaza before their mass wedding on Saturday.

Ten same-sex couples married in Founders Plaza outside the County Records Building in downtown Dallas on Saturday.

The event began with speakers, and a sidewalk march followed. Marchers then returned to Founders Plaza for the mass wedding attended by about 150 people. The marriages are not considered legal.

One person who addressed the rally before the march said he was visiting from New York. He was legally married in that state a month ago and was there to protest that his marriage is considered invalid when he travels.

Richard Curtin, who officiated at the weddings, said when his partner of 22 years died last year, he sent off the form marking relationship as “partner.” It was returned as “friend.” He called that a slap in the face by the state of Texas during his mourning period.

After several people spoke, the crowd marched several blocks along the sidewalk. The couples getting married led the march carrying Texas Marriage Equality flags.

Unlike at some rallies, there was absolutely no police presence and there were no protesters. Police were stretched thin because of the State Fair and the Occupy Dallas protests. But soon after the rally began, a contingent of Occupy Dallas protesters joined the marriage rally. However, police from their encampment a few blocks away near City Hall did not follow.

After the marchers returned to Founders Plaza, the wedding began.

Couples lined up and Curtin announced the names of each pair. They proceeded down the plaza holding hands and walking between a line of onlookers. Tina Sokol and Suzan Cooke said they’ve been together 11 years. Henry Ramirez and his partner Tony have been together 10 years and already had a ceremony last year. Ashlyn Jones and Amanda Evans, who were profiled in Friday’s Dallas Voice, have been together five years.

The event was sponsored by GetEQUAL. Daniel Cates, leader of the local GetEQUAL group, organized the rally and protest. For more photos, go here.

—  David Taffet

Lambda Legal reopens NJ same-sex marriage case

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Although New Jersey lost the marriage battle after a 14-20 Senate vote earlier this year, same-sex couples aren’t giving up or waiting for a Democrat to return to the governor’s mansion.

Eh, what exit are ya?
Eh, what exit are ya?

In its original 2006 ruling, along with civil unions, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state to study whether that solution was truly equal. Of the first 1,000 people who were civilly united, half filed complaints of unequal treatment. The intent was for civil unions for same-sex couples to be equal to marriage for opposite-sex couples.

The Newark Star Ledger reported:

Civil union couples still have trouble being recognized as next-of-kin by employers when they seek benefits and by hospital officials when one partner is ill. Not surprisingly, this separate institution turns out to be unequal.

So the couples who filed the original complaint are going back to court. They are demanding an upgrade from second class civil unions to marriage equality.

In her dissent in the original case, Chief Justice Deborah Poritz wrote, “What we name things matters, language matters.”

On March 18, Lambda Legal filed a motion to reactivate Lewis v. Harris, the original New Jersey same-sex marriage case. They submitted evidence to the court to show that with marriage, separate isn’t equal.

And befaw I hear from anyone from Joisey about my cherse a pikchas, my fatha’s from Nutley.

—  David Taffet

Reserve Officers Association changes position on gays in the military

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The following was sent to us by the Reserve Officers Association. They have withdrawn a previous call to exclude all gays and lesbians from the military. They also rejected by a two-thirds vote support of Don’t ask, don’t tell. However, they have not voted for repeal of DADT and may issue a new position this summer.

WASHINGTON – Members of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States voted Wednesday to rescind its previous call for complete exclusion of gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military.

The association also rejected by a two-thirds vote a proposal to endorse the current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) law, which allows gays and lesbians to serve, provided they keep silent about their sexual orientation.

“While our membership voted down a position supporting the current law, our actions fell short of endorsing the administration’s current position that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military,” said retired Rear Admiral Paul T. Kayye, ROA president. “No inference should be made as to the association’s position as we do not currently have one on this issue.”

“The sense of the membership was that this issue should be resolved by currently serving military leaders,” he said.

Previously, ROA had urged Congress “to exclude homosexuals from induction, enlistment, commissioning and continued service in the Armed Forces of the United States.” This was U.S. government policy before DADT went into law in 1993.

A revised proposal “to make no changes to the current law” (DADT) was also voted down. As a result, ROA currently has no proposals to either repeal or retain DADT.

The members of ROA may or may not elect to establish a position regarding this issue at its next meeting this summer.

The association held its national convention here this week, setting its legislative and national security policy positions. The conversation regarding DADT was only one of 48 issues discussed.

The Reserve Officers Association is the 63,000-member professional association for all uniformed services of the United States. Chartered by Congress and in existence since 1922, ROA advises and educates the Congress, the President, and the American people on national security, with unique expertise on issues that affect the 1.5 million men and women now serving in America’s Reserve Components.


—  David Taffet

New tactic from the right wing

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Rep. Matt Windschitl

Rep. Matt Windschitl

Iowa’s right wing is pushing for a vote on same-sex marriage. They’re using a new tactic.

In their decision, the Iowa Supreme Court cited state laws such as the anti-bullying law that includes protections for LGBT students.

So two Republicans in the Iowa House, Jason Schultz and Matt Windschitl, now want to remove protection for LGBT students to pave the way for an anti-same-sex marriage vote. They have filed the Exclude Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Students from Safe Schools Law.

Opponents of equality are showing just how desperate they have become. If other tactics don’t work, file a law that tells bullies to beat up LGBT kids. Simply, incite violence to get their way.

—  David Taffet

Dallas Morning News: Time to end Don't ask, don't tell

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The Dallas Morning News ran an editorial today that begins, “It’s not the military’s business what a service member’s sexual orientation is.”

Whether timed to coincide with the Creating Change conference, being held in Dallas this weekend that has attracted more than 2,200 activists from around the country, or not, this editorial is momentous. When the Dallas Morning News, one of the most conservative newspapers in the country, says it’s time to end Don’t ask, don’t tell, times have changed.

Of course the letters in response? Priceless.

—  David Taffet

McCain changes his excuses on DADT

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Sen. John McCain changed his tune
Sen. John McCain changed his tune

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before Congress yesterday about Don’t ask, don’t tell. He said:

“I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified,

“The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it. We have received our orders from the commander in chief, and we are moving out accordingly.”

And John McCain said,

“I honor their sacrifice, and I honor them.”

But not enough to allow them to serve openly, even though in 2006, McCain said,

“The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, ‘Senator, we ought to change the policy,’ then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it.”

Because after hearing the leaders of the military tell Congress to drop the policy, McCain now says,

“At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.”

—  David Taffet

New studies: Catholics aren't homophobic and pedophile priests aren't gay

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The Pope: out of step with the majority of American Catholics?

The Pope: out of step with the majority of American Catholics?

Anti-gay Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are Catholic. The Catholic Church poured money into anti-gay campaigns such as Prop 8 and Catholic Charities threatens to stop delivering social services in Washington, D.C. if new anti-discrimination laws including same sex marriage pass.

So you would think Catholics would be more likely to be anti-gay.

A new study finds that is not necessarily true. More Catholics seem to align with Catholic Supreme Court justices Anthony Kennedy and Sonia Sotomayor.

The states with the highest proportion of Catholics are the states that are more likely to support LGBT rights.

According to an article in Pink News, “Six of the eight states where 50 per cent or more of the public supports gay marriage are the states with the highest proportion of Catholics, ranging from Rhode Island at 46 per cent to New York and California at 37 per cent.”

The study was done by Mark Silk from Trinity College.

In a related story, a USA Today headline today says:

Report: Homosexuality no factor in abusive priests

Because most of the 14,000 reported molestations by priests were of boys, the assumption was that gay priests were committing the abuse. A $2 million study commissioned by American bishops indicates that sexual orientation was not a factor in these abuse cases.

Heterosexuals were as likely to have committed these crimes.

— David Taffet

—  Dallasvoice

Why we still march

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Here in Dallas, within the last three weeks we have held the 26th annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade in Dallas, the Dallas Southern Pride weekend and the Tarrant County Gay Pride Parade. Within the last six months, we have seen the Equality March Texas commemorate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, and we have seen numerous rallies and protests against the Rainbow Lounge Raid in Fort Worth and in support of gay rights.

And now, thousands are expected in Washington, D.C., this weekend for the National Equality March, the same weekend that the president of the United States will speak at the Human Rights Campaign dinner there.

But why do we still march? I think this video answers that question very well.

—  admin