Tag Archives: same-sex marriage

Marriages in Maine to begin at midnight

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Marriage begins in state No. 8 tomorrow. Several city and town halls in Maine are planning special hours to accommodate people planning to marry as soon as the marriage-equality law fully takes effect.

Two other states that voted for equality in November are Washington and Maryland. Marriages began in Washington earlier this month and will begin in Maryland on Tuesday, Jan. 1.

The Portland Press reported that Portland’s city hall will open at 12:01 a.m. and stay open until 3 a.m. to issue licenses and perform ceremonies. Officials said they can accommodate up to 100 couples. Doors open at 10 p.m. tonight.

In Maryland, one company is pulling a Baylor Health Care System and will no longer offer its services for weddings of any type. Discover Annapolis Tours said it would lose $50,000 a year when it stops its business rather than serve same-sex couples.

“If they’re providing services to the public, they can’t discriminate who they provide their services to,” said Glendora Hughes, general counsel for the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.

Gay Weddings In Maine is a new website to help couples getting married in Maine. The site includes legal advice, practical information and more than 300 vendors happy to provide everything from flowers, limousines and catering halls to rehearsal dinner and honeymoon spots around the state.

—  David Taffet

Marriage equality battles rage in France, Great Britain and Uruguay

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Uruguay’s Congress building in Montevideo

A marriage equality bill passed the lower house of Uruguay’s congress. The bill is expected to pass the Senate as well. The country already has civil unions.

President Jose Mujica is expected to sign the bill into law making Uruguay the second South American country with marriage equality after Argentina.

In Latin America, Mexico City has marriage equality as well, and a recent Supreme Court ruling makes other states in Mexico recognize those marriages.

France and Great Britain already have domestic partnerships.

In France, President Francois Hollande was elected on a promise to legalize same-sex marriage. Yesterday, however, about 20,000 people in five cities turned out for an anti-equality march.

Hollande suggested mayors from more conservative rural cities could opt out of marrying same-sex couples.

More than 2,000 mayors have signed a petition that they would opt out, according to Press TV.

In Great Britain, the debate over marriage equality continues. Because the Church of England is a state religion, the church is involved in the debate in a way in which it is not in other European countries. A new proposal would allow same-sex civil ceremonies but would ban the Churches of England and Wales from performing those ceremonies. It would also allow other religious groups to opt out.

Other religious groups would be able to opt in, according to the BBC. Among those in favor of marriage equality are the Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Jews. Liberal Judaism in Great Britain is equivalent to Reform Judaism in North America, which has recognized same-sex marriage for 15 years.

In Europe, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Spain and Sweden already have marriage equality.

No word on when France and Great Britain will vote on their pending marriage equality legislation.

—  David Taffet

Petition calls for Pflugerville ISD board to reinstate domestic partner benefits

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Pflugerville ISD recently became the first Texas school district to offer domestic partner benefits to its employees, both gay and straight.

But after vocal support and opposition was brought before the PSID Board of Trustees, the matter was placed on the agenda for reconsideration in December.

The board’s decision to reconsider DP benefits has prompted the Pflugerville Educators Association to launch a Change.org petition to encourage the board to keep the benefits.

The petition entitled, “Pflugerville ISD Board of Trustees: Keep insurance benefits for all PISD employees and their families” mentions that the decision to reconsider the benefits is targeting gay employees unfairly when the recommendation to add DP benefits came from “a group of dedicated district employees who were tasked with evaluating benefits in the best interest of the entire PISD family.”

“Now, a small but vocal group of Pflugerville residents is attempting to turn this decision into something it is not,” the petition reads in part. “They claim PISD is ‘pushing an agenda,’ and they are attempting to equate the benefits change to taking a stand on gay marriage. These political allegations are not true.”

The change was a result from a recommendation from the district employees’ insurance commission to add insurance coverage for opposite- and same-sex couples. PISD’s superintendent later voiced support for the decision.

Supporters and opponents of the decision showed up in force at the October PISD board meeting. Earlier this month, board members said they were unaware of the changes they agreed to in the coverage change because they had always followed previous recommendations. They agreed to reconsider the benefits at the Dec. 13 meeting.

“I want to have our board revisit the insurance issue,” PISD trustee Jimmy Don Havins told Community Impact Newspaper. “I want the board to have an up or down vote. The motion I will make is to revert to the coverage we previously had.”

—  Anna Waugh

Eureka Springs becomes 1st city in Arkansas to endorse marriage equality

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Eureka Springs on Monday became the first city in Arkansas to endorse marriage equality, according to a report from retired journalist Michael Walsh, a resident who authored the city’s domestic partner registry five years ago.

In an email to Dallas Voice, Walsh said he was one of two leaders of a low-profile campaign to persuade the City Council to adopt the marriage equality resolution who spoke in favor of it at Monday’s meeting. Lamont Richie, a former city official and currently a Carroll County Quorum court judge, was blunt about the resolution’s intent.

“This will put you on record as supporting marriage equality,” Richie told the council.

Continue reading “Eureka Springs becomes 1st city in Arkansas to endorse marriage equality” »

—  John Wright

When will same-sex marriages begin in Washington, Maryland, Maine?

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On Election Day, three states approved same-sex marriage and one, Minnesota, defeated an anti-equality constitutional amendment. But marriages have not yet begun in the three states — Maine, Maryland and Washington — that voted for marriage equality.

Maryland’s new marriage law takes effect on Jan. 1, but according to state officials, it will be a few more days after the New Year before marriage licenses will be issued. According to the Washington Post, that’s because Jan. 1 is a holiday and Maryland has a 48-hour waiting period from the time licenses are issued.

In Maine, marriage will go into effect sometime between Dec. 6 and and Jan. 5. The initiative goes into effect 30 days after the governor makes a “public proclamation of the result of the vote,” within 10 days after the result has been determined.

Maine voters on Tuesday overturned a 2009 ballot initiative that blocked a marriage equality law passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. Equality lost in 2009 by 47 to 53 percent. The overturn vote this year was 53 to 47 percent.

Because Washington’s elections are done by mail, results came slower, but marriage passed by roughly the same margin here that it passed by in Maine and Maryland. Washington’s procedure is for the ballot initiative to be certified on Dec. 5. Marriage is expected to begin in that state the next day.

The biggest prize this year may still be California. If the Supreme Court decides not to hear the Proposition 8 case at its next conference Nov. 20, the lower court’s ruling stands and marriage begins immediately or within weeks in that state. If the high court decides to hear the case, a ruling would probably not be issued until June.

Marriage opponent Brian Brown, president of National Organization for Marriage, said his group was outspent 4 to 1, which he blames for the first successful votes for equality. Polls show 53 percent of Americans support marriage equality.

—  David Taffet

For 7th time in 3 years, poll shows most Texans support legal gay unions

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Yet another poll has found that a solid majority of Texans support legal recognition — where it be marriage or civil unions — for same-sex couples.

Results from a University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll released today show that 36 percent of Texans support same-sex marriage, while another 33 percent support civil unions but not marriage. Twenty-five percent said they oppose all forms of legal relationship recognition — both marriage and civil unions — for same-sex couples.

The UT/TT poll surveyed 800 voters from Oct. 15-21 and has a margin of error of 4.22 percentage points.

It’s at least the seventh poll since 2009 that has showed that a solid majority of Texans  support civil unions or marriage — with the figure consistently hovering around 60 percent — which might lead one to wonder why they don’t ask a new LGBT-related question.

In case these pollsters haven’t noticed, Texas has a constitutional amendment banning both same-sex marriage and civil unions. Overturning the amendment would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, as well as a simple majority of voters,  which is extremely unlikely to happen anytime in the foreseeable future.

Therefore, we’d suggest they ask something more relevant, such as, “Would you support a law banning employment discrimination against LGBT people?”

—  John Wright

AUDIO: Kluwe’s marriage equality PSA

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Chris Kluwe, the one straight athlete every gay person should know, recorded a promo for marriage equality in his home state of Minnesota, where he plays for the Vikings. Gay.net has the audio. Listen here.

P.S. Who else thinks Ryan Gosling has to play him in the movie?

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

Would a resolution backing marriage equality pass the Dallas City Council?

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Equality Texas has posted a petition calling for the Austin City Council to approve a resolution in support of marriage equality. As far as I know, Austin would be the first city in Texas to do so.

According to the petition, the resolution is sponsored by Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole and Councilwoman Laura Morrison, and backed by Equality  Texas, the Human Rights Campaign, the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The resolution will be voted on in September.

“Marriage provides legal and economic protections including access to health care, recognition of parental and custodial responsibilities, property rights, and other protections which are vital to the safety and security of every family, and is a powerful and important affirmation of love and commitment and a source of social support and recognition,” the petition states in part. “As the Supreme Court said in the 1967 landmark case Loving v. Virginia, ‘Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival. Thank you for your leadership in support of the freedom to marry and for sending the message nationwide that the City of Austin values equality.”

The petition currently has 326 signatures, with a goal of 1,000. Especially if you live in Austin, but even if you don’t, sign it by going here.

On a side note, one can’t help but wonder how long it will be before a similar resolution is proposed in Dallas. Leffingwell is among the six mayors from Texas who signed a Freedom to Marry “pledge” earlier this year. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, of course, is not — even though Rawlings has said he would vote in favor of marriage equality if he had the chance.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that with Rawlings’ support, the votes are there right now, today, on the Dallas City Council to pass a similar resolution. Can you guess who my other seven votes are?

UPDATE: Daniel Williams at Equality Texas sent over a copy of the resolution that will be voted on by the Austin City Council in September, and I’ve posted it below. The resolution is a powerful statement in support of equality, and one that pro-LGBT council members in every progressive city in this state should consider putting forward.

Continue reading “Would a resolution backing marriage equality pass the Dallas City Council?” »

—  John Wright

Sykes to host political forum on Logo

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The Republican National Convention starts next week, followed the following week by the Democratic National Convention, and you may be planning to get your coverage from ABC, CNN, MSNBC or NPR.

But Logo is getting into the game.

Out comedian Wanda Sykes will host two political panel shows — one following the DNC convention, one on election eve in November — for the (formerly-gaycentric) cable channel. NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes will premiere on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m., and discuss issues of interest to gay voters, including same-sex marriage and Supreme Court appointments.

Of course, Logo held a candidates forum on LGBT issues in 2007, but this is, to my memory, its first serious foray into gay news and politics in five years. Good for them. Just, why did they do this only after renouncing their gay cred? Ah, well, we’ll take what we can get.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

NEWS ANALYSIS: 5 reasons marriage equality’s 32-vote losing streak will end in November

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MIKE BAKER | Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Opponents of gay marriage have an unblemished track record in U.S. elections, chalking up 32 victories in 32 public votes.

They’ve won in blue states and red ones, among the most heavily religious areas and among the least-churched. North Carolina punctuated the winning streak just last month by comfortably approving a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex unions.

Gay marriage supporters are optimistic that they can end their losing ways this year, with four states voting on the issue in November. They’re particularly encouraged by the prospects in Washington and Maine. Meanwhile, opponents have taken steps to maintain their unflawed record and believe their side will be motivated to hold the status quo.

Here are five reasons why same-sex marriage proponents have a decent shot at success in 2012:

WASHINGTON: Officials certified a gay marriage referendum on Tuesday, meaning Washingtonians will decide the issue this fall. Voters upheld an “everything but marriage” law in a similar referendum vote three years ago, approving it by a 53-47 margin. That was the first time that a state’s voters had agreed to extend relationship rights to same-sex couples. It expanded benefits including the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner, and rights related to adoption, child custody and child support. Lawmakers comfortably approved gay marriage earlier this year as political leaders such as Gov. Chris Gregoire talked about how their views on the issue had changed. However gay marriage opponents are not conceding anything yet. National groups have promised time and money to fight Washington’s new same-sex marriage law via the referendum, including the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage, which was involved in ballot measures that overturned same-sex marriage in California and Maine.

REPUBLICANS: Six Republican lawmakers in Washington voted in favor of the gay marriage legislation, and a leading GOP candidate for attorney general also declared his support. Republican Rep. Maureen Walsh, who represents conservative territory in eastern Washington anchored by Walla Walla, said she believes opinions on the issue are changing even there. “My district is far more receptive to it than they’ve ever been in the past,” she said.

POLLS: A recent poll conducted by consulting firm Strategies 360 found that 54 percent of likely Washington voters think it should be legal for same-sex couples to get married, though the survey didn’t specifically ask them how they’ll vote on Referendum 74. Public support nationally has also been increasing steadily, though both sides of the gay marriage issue have indicated caution with opinion polls on this issue, noting that some may say one thing in surveys but vote another way on an emotionally charged issue. And same-sex marriage opponents point to their many victories at the ballot box in previous elections.

MAINE: Maine voters rejected gay marriage three years ago by a 53-47 margin, and activists have been working over the past two years to change voter opinions. They believe there are positive trends, especially since several of the states that have legal same-sex marriage are New England neighbors — New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Legislature in New Hampshire, now controlled by Republicans, considered repealing that state’s gay marriage law this year but ultimately rejected that effort.

OBAMA: President Barack Obama’s recent declaration of support for gay marriage was celebrated as a key endorsement among gay rights groups. He remains comparatively popular in Washington, with 53 percent approving of his work and 43 percent disapproving, according to the Strategies 360 poll. Obama’s image and statement has been prominently displayed on the website of those trying to sustain the gay marriage law. David Farmer, who is leading efforts to legalize gay marriage in Maine, said Obama’s statement galvanized supporters and also echoed the views of people on the fence. “The way he talked about his evolution is very similar to what we see people talking about when we go to door-to-door,” Farmer said. But foes of gay marriage in Washington think the president’s support could backfire. Joseph Backholm, with Preserve Marriage Washington, has said Obama’s endorsement “will galvanize and energize our folks.”

—  John Wright