Gay Marriage

Gay Marriage Held Across from Westboro Baptist Church

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Three months after the “Equality House” was set up across the street from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, the pro-LGBT organization managed to pay back Westboro just a little in the most fabulous way that it could: by holding a gay marriage right on its front lawn.

On Saturday, June 22nd, Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short were married in a wedding ceremony at the “Equality House,” the rainbow-painted house bought by Aaron Jackson and used for his charity “Project Peace”. A couple of five-and-a-half years they wanted to show support for Jackson’s charity and the house’s mission.

The house, painted as a counter protest against Westboro and to remember LGBT youth who have committed suicide, has been celebrated for its courage and visibility. In contrast to public opinion on how Westboro runs their protests, this one is peaceful, respectful, and full of love. It collects donations to channel money into anti-bullying campaigns and LGBT community outreach programs. And it couldn’t be in a better spot.

The house was bought with courage and painted with just as much. Mike McKessor had to be contracted from Kansas City because no one in Kansas was willing to paint the house. A veteran, he took personal offense to how Westboro has protested at military funerals and painted the house to show his support for the cause and his disdain for the neighbors.

Kidwell and Short drove down from Arkansas, and along with 100 guests celebrated a union of love along with a large political statement, against Westboro, states with constitutional gay-marriage bans, and the federal government.

The wedding was held to raise awareness for the Supreme Court Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) decision that is forthcoming. Since Kansas is one of the states where gay marriage is outlawed by constitutional amendment, the wedding doesn’t have any legal standing, but it has all the force of annoyance and abhorrence as the well-known (and well-disliked) had to all but watch as it was held fifty feet from their front doors. Westboro is unable to protest on private property, so all the church group could do was post their famous anti-LGBT signs and say nothing.

Many across the country are waiting (some more impatient than others) to find out the DOMA ruling and, if overturned, how widespread the ruling will cause effects. The narrowest positive possibility is the overturning of just California’s law, with the widest having effects over the entire country and overturning constitutional amendments in several states like Kansas.

The wedding at “Equality House” was truly fitting for the occasion, and reminds the LGBT population and all of its allies that although the fight is about rights and equal standing, it comes first and foremost, from love that we all can understand.

Equality Won – Gay Marriage Victories

America took a great stride toward fulfilling its inherent commitment to equality. On June 26th, the United States Supreme Court issued two very important gay rights rulings that nullified the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8. The court found DOMA unconstitutional on equal protection grounds and determined those petitioning the court to sustain Prop 8 did not have “standing” to do so and let the 9th Circuit decision stand.

DOMA being declared unconstitutional, brings to an end a very long fight that finally brings fairness and equity to those same sex couples legally married in that they now are accorded all the federal benefits of marriage that are available to heterosexual couples. The dismissal of Prop 8 by the Supreme Court restores the right to marry in CA, bringing the number of marriage equality states to 12.

While we can bask in the glow of victory momentarily, we must take up the battle tomorrow, as we still have 38 states that do not recognize LGBTQ Americans as equals, and legally discriminate against them due to the constitutional bans on same sex marriage, and are denied access to many rights and privileges straight Americans are entitled to. Our transgender brothers and sisters are also still persecuted and many states deny gay couples adoption rights, hospital visitation rights, and other rights and privileges that straight couples take for granted.  There is much work yet to be done before ALL Americans are equal.

I am confident that the freedom to marry will come to all states in the union. The Supreme Court found DOMA unconstitutional on equal protection grounds, and the court also cited Loving v. Georgia, which essentially means state constitutional bans on same sex marriage would not pass Supreme Court muster either. It is only a matter of time before marriage equality and full and equal access to all the rights and privileges accorded to straight married couples by the federal government are enjoyed by all Americans.

The beacon of freedom and justice shines a bit brighter throughout America after these court rulings. America certainly is a more perfect union because of the court’s historic decisions. The Supreme Court took a monumental step toward protecting the freedoms of gay and lesbian Americans. However, we have a long way to go and we will not relent or become complacent in our efforts to continue to work toward achieving America’s promise of liberty and justice for all for ALL Americans.

Supreme Court Delivers Gay Marriage Victory

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BREAKING NEWS:  Supreme Court Delivers First Gay Marriage Victory

Profound Victory for basic human rights as the Supreme Court issues rulings on Gay Marriage.

In 5-4 ruling, U.S. Supreme Court justices overturn Defense of Marriage Act, saying it is unconstitutional. DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment. Roberts, Scalia, Alito, Thomas issue Dissents. Chief Roberts and Scalia believe there is no jurisdiction. Opinion is by Justice Kennedy, joined by the four liberal Justices — Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Kennedy states, “DOMA singles out a class of persons deemed by a State entitled ot recognition and protection to enhance their own liberty.”

In plain terms, same-sex couples who are legally married will be entitled to equal treatment under federal law such benefits include income taxes, social security benefits and over a thousand other federal laws and programs. The Court explained that by denying recognition to same-sex couples who are legally married, federal law discriminates against them. This decision means that same-sex couples who are legally married must now be treated the same under federal law as married opposite-sex couples..

In Proposition 8 ruling, court dismisses based on standing. Gay Marriage Ban in California is struck down. From Chief Roberts “”The Court does not have before it, and the logic of its opinion does not decide, the distinct question whether the States . . . may continue to utilize the traditional definition of marriage.” The Ninth Circuit was without jurisdiction to consider the appeal. The judgment of the Ninth Circuit is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.

In plain English because the State of California would not defend the law, proponents of the ban filed the suit challenging the ninth circuit courts decision.  The supreme court has ruled that the suit had no standing as the proponents have no legal rights to bring the case.

At 10am the Supreme Court and it’s nine justices convened to issue rulings on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which limits the definition of marriage to being specifically a male/female relationship for the purpose of federal benefits, and a California state law banning gay marriage AKA proposition 8.

Both cases, which were argued in March, could shape the debate profoundly on weather gay men and women have the right to marry their same-sex partners. The cases come before SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) at a time when opinion polls show growing support for gay marriage.  While only 12 (13 with California) states recognize gay marriage, there are still over 30 states that prohibit it with many more with laws that try to provide some rights to gay couples while not officially calling it “marriage”.

The DOMA case before the court was brought by Edith Windsor of New York who was married to a woman, Thea Spyer, legally at the state level in New York, but was unable to get the federal estate tax deduction available to heterosexuals when their spouses die due to the 1996 DOMA law.  When Spyer died in 2009, Edit Windsor was forced to pay federal estate taxes in the amount of $363,000.  Windsor case files suit against the federal government seeking a refund of the same amount.

While the Obama administration once defended the law, Attorney General Eric Holder said the law was unconstitutional in 2011. The administration asked the Supreme Court to strike the law down. making Obama the first sitting president to support gay marriage.

The California case, Proposition 8,  was a state ballot measure that was approved by voters in 2008 just months after the California’s supreme court ruled in favor of gay marriages. A federal judge struck the proposition 8 law down two years later in 2010 as a violation of the US Constitutions guarantee of equal protection.

Rethink Gay Marriage says UK Bishop

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The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtham has suggested in a letter to UK daily newspaper, The Telegraph that it was time for the church to “rethink” attitudes about same-sex marriage, as Christians had done with slavery and apartheid.

“No one now supports either slavery or apartheid. The Biblical texts have not changed; our interpretation has.” The religious leader argued that same sex marriage did not “detract from heterosexual marriage” and that the “development of marriage for same sex couples is a very strong endorsement of the institution of marriage”.

The same-sex marriage bill that would allow same-sex couples, who can currently hold civil partnership ceremonies, to marry is currently being debated in the UK parliament. There are religious safeguards already written into the bill in which religious organisations would have to “opt in” to offering weddings, with the Church of England and Church in Wales being banned in law from doing so.

The bill has been backed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, his Lib Dem deputy PM Nick Clegg as well as the opposition leader Ed Miliband and the majority of their party members. Although many Tory backbenchers oppose the bill and voted against equality, showing that for all Cameron’s talk of being a progressive party and worthy of leading the country for the next decade is just talk and empty promises.

Anti-Gay Laws Pass in Nigeria

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Nigeria’s House of Representatives recently voted in favour of a ban on gay marriage, outlaw any groups actively supporting gay rights and endorsing a measure that also calls for 10-year prison sentences for any “public show” of affection by a same-sex couple.

The House of Representatives appeared to unanimously approve the proposal in a voice vote, sending it immediately to the President, Goodluck Jonathan for him to sign it into law in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria’s Senate previously passed the bill back in November 2011, although it seemed to disappear in procedure for some time before re-emerging in the most recent session of the House. This new law would not only ban any same-sex marriage from taking place either in a mosque or a church, it would also see same-sex couples face up to 14 years in jail for marrying in other locations. In a horrendous abuse of freedom the law would also have implications for friends and relations of gay people, as anyone who witnesses or conducts same-sex marriages would face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The law would also effectively silence Nigeria’s gay population, as under the proposed legislation anyone taking part in a group advocating for gay rights or anyone caught in a “public show” of affection also would face 10 years in prison. Many fear this is just the start of an anti-gay campaign by the political leaders in the country that would lead to custodial sentences for simply being gay or lesbian. There is already a ban on gay sex in the country and a culture of hatred toward gay people has existed for many years, including when the country was rules by the British Empire.

The bill is currently with President Goodluck Jonathan awaiting for his approval or an incredibly unlikely veto. So far all requests for comment on this issue have gone unanswered either by his office or the President himself. The UK, which gives millions free money and aid to Nigeria has previously threatened to stop aid to nations that discriminate against gays, but no money has yet been stopped to any nation on this basis. Plus there seems little appetite among the government elite to make a stand on the issue because of the backbench revolt Prime Minister David Cameron faced over his stand on gay marriage recently.

During 2011 President Barack Obama issued a similar directive asking officials to “ensure that US diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of” gays, lesbians and the transgender people included having diplomats “combat the criminalisation” of being gay by foreign governments, yet the US remains the biggest customer for the Nigerian oil industry.

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Scotland’s Gay Marriage Plans

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The government in Scotland, UK, has confirmed it will introduce a bill to allow same-sex marriage within the month. A special consultation on a ‘Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill’ came to an end in March this year, however its findings have yet to be made public.

Scottish ministers have promised to change the law to allow same-sex couples the right to marry whilst also writing in protections for religious groups that do not want to carry out such ceremonies. Both the Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church are against the plans, as is expected.

The government advise the bill would also allow civil ceremonies to take place at a location other than a registrar’s office and once a legislative proposal had been lodged at parliament it will undergo rigorous scrutiny before committee members and in the chamber. There have also been talks going on behind the scenes have been taking place with the UK Government as ministers at Holyrood House, the home of the Scottish political chamber, believe an amendment is needed to UK equalities legislation to protect individual celebrants who may not want to conduct same-sex ceremonies even if their church, as an organisation, backs them. Health secretary Mr Neil said “substantial progress” had been made on the issue in discussions with UK Culture Secretary Maria Miller.

Mr Neil said: “We have given a commitment to introduce this legislation after the extensive consultation we have had as quickly as possible, which is what we’re doing. I would hope the timetabling would be such that we could see this bill become law sooner rather than later.”

 

 

Lord Carey warns ‘Gay marriage plan ‘paves way for polygamy’

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Same-sex marriage sets a “dangerous precedent” which could lead to sibling marriage or polygamy, so says Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury – the head of the Christian church of England.

His aggressive anti-gay outburst comes just days ahead of the same-sex marriage bill being debated in Britain’s unelected second political chamber – The House of Lords.

The vile former archbishop of Canterbury argued there could be “unintended consequences” in allowing marriage equality in an article for the think tank Civitas. He says the bill will essentially change the definition of marriage to “a long-term commitment between two people of any sex, in which gender and procreation are irrelevant”. He claims not to be alarmist but says the logically next step to allowing gay people to marry would be to extend marriage to “say, two sisters bringing up children together” or “multiple relationships, such as two women and one man“. – “Ultimately, the proposed legalisation of same-sex marriage represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of marriage,” he claims.

This isn’t the first time the cleric has verbalised gay hate views, last year at the Conservative Party Conference he spouted that gay marriage was a “slippery slope” to allowing a “Mormon-style relationship”. He also previously courted controversy by likening critics of gay marriage to persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany.

The UK’s same-sex marriage bill passed through the House of Commons the elected political chamber of the UK’s political system last month and now heads to the House of Lord’s, the second chamber in the next few days, where it is expected to face stiff opposition. One lord, the former West Midlands chief constable Lord Dear has put forward an amendment to refuse the bill a second reading in the Lord’s – which if passed would effectively kill the bill‘s progress and set the UK‘s equality battle back at least fifteen years.

Stonewall, the equality campaigning charity, chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “This is regrettably hyperbolic shroud waving. We pray other peers will be a little more attuned to the 21st Century during next week’s debate.

 

First French Gay Marriage

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Representatives of the world’s media descended on the liberal city of Montpellier, France on Wednesday 29th May for the very first gay wedding in France, just days after President Hollande signed the same-sex marriage bill in to law.

Vincent Autin, 40, and Bruno Boileau, 30, celebrated their love with a wedding ceremony and the slightly futuristic Montpellier City Hall, joined by 500 of their closest friends and a media contingent mustering more than 300.

‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity is written on the walls of City Hall so perhaps it was a fitting venue for the country’s first gay wedding, presided over by city Mayor Hélène Mandroux, which was broadcast live on the city government’s website to the world. Among the 500 plus guests were prominent gay rights activists, equality campaigners and high profile political figures.

Montpellier is wonderfully vibrant Mediterranean city that enjoys a hedonistic and bohemian lifestyle, with a strong and colourful student population and is known as a particularly ‘gay-friendly’ city. Indeed many commentators and inhabitants consider it to be comparable to California’s lively gay community in San Francisco or the United Kingdom’s city of Brighton.

Following on from the violent demonstrations against marriage equality that took place in Paris on Sunday that saw hundreds arrested, the local police and organisers took no chances, 100 police officers were put on the wedding’s security detail, with another 80 gendarmes ready to back them up, according to the local police office.

Vincent Autin, 40, a gay activist and the head of a Montpellier public relations firm, and Bruno Boileau, 30, a government worker, have been together for more than five years and state that as significant as their wedding was, it was just one step towards their bigger goal, to start a family by adopting a child.
“The law will allow that, but we’re very aware that we won’t have the child we both want right away,” Autin said. “Mentalities have to change. And of course the path to adoption is long, even for heterosexuals.”

“Everything won’t get done from one day to the next,” Boileau agreed.

We wish them well and hope they have a long and happy future together.

Paris Protest Against Gay Marriage Turns Violent.

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More then a million homophobes marched through the streets of Paris, France last Sunday 26th May in a specially organised demonstration against the recently passed French law that legalised same-sex marriage and adoption.

At least that’s the number the organisers, Manif Pour Tous, would have you believe that attended their march and demonstration of intolerance. The authorities paint a slightly different picture of the event that rapidly turned to violence at the end, with nearly 300 people being arrested, for they announced the estimated number of attendees amassed a little over 150,000.

Regardless of the actual number of people present, there is little doubt that not everyone in France is happy about the same-sex marriage and adoption bill that was signed into law earlier this month by President François Hollande.

Manif Pour Tous, have organised several demonstrations against the bill over the recent months, that have seen hundreds of thousands of people marching on the streets of the capital. However, much like many of the previous demonstrations, tensions rose until violent clashes erupted between the police and demonstrators during the evening. According to official reports, b by the end of the night the police had arrested 293 people had been arrested and thousands of dollars worth of damaged caused.

The demonstrators hurled glass bottles, smoke bombs and even sound grenades at police whilst chanting various things including “Hollande resign!” Some protesters carried signs that read “Made in Mama + Papa,” while others waved pink and blue flags.

Manif Pour Tous are already planning other events, regardless of the fact that there is little chance of the new legislation being repealed “[The] message is that we’re not letting go of anything, that we’re going to continue to resist. The idea is to show that although the law has been passed, we are still mobilised,” Marie-Camille Richard, deputy communications director of Manif Pour Tous said. “We are a movement that must now be considered a part of the French political landscape. Not political in the sense that we will engage in politics, but political in the sense that politicians today must recognise our presence.”

Whilst many of the anti-gay marriage campaigners and commentators have blamed the violent behaviour of some of the demonstrators on ultra far right groups, they have done little to distance themselves or their campaign against equality from such groups, even utilising their social network pages and profiles to help organise events and mobilise supporters.

While the same-sex marriage and adoption bill may already have been passed, there are still many questions yet to be addressed of assisted reproduction and surrogacy for gay and lesbian couples which will come up for debate shortly. Both issues are vigorously opposed by France’s social conservative and religious groups and Manif Pour Tous have promised they‘ll be there every step of the way.

Gay Marriage Bill Passes In UK Parliament

Campaigners demonstrate for a "yes" vote to allow gay marriage, as they protest outside Parliament in London
Marriage Equality in the United Kingdom came a step closer on Tuesday Night when Members of Parliament voted to approve the Marriage (same-sex couples bill) at it’s third reading by 366 votes to 161, a majority of 205.

After two days of debate, with many amendments offered and discussed, the Culture Secretary and Minister for Equalities, Maria Miller told Mps just before the crucial vote “I accept that for some colleagues their beliefs mean that the principle of this issue is an insurmountable barrier to supporting this change.

“But to other colleagues I say, now is the time. Let us not be side-tracked nor distracted. Let us not expand the remit of this bill beyond its original intention. Let us make equal marriage possible because it is the right thing to do and then let us move on. I am pleased to commend this bill to the House.”

It has been a most dramatic time at London’s House of Parliament, on Monday the bill was in danger of being completely stalled by an amendment from a backbench Tory MP, thankfully in a deal with the opposition leader Ed Miliband, they overcame the wrecking amendment, which was designed purly to slow up and even halt the bill in its

There were a few further complications on Tuesday afternoon because of an amendment calling for Humanist marriage ceremonies to be legalised at the same time. Even though it had widespread support from Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs – the amendment was withdrawn after the attorney general warned that it would fall foul of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Under the bill, the Church of England and the Church in Wales would be banned from offering same-sex marriages because of their strongly stated opposition, unless they changed canon law. Whilst other religious organisations would be able to “opt in” to holding same-sex ceremonies.

Marriage Equality and getting the bill passed the Commons has been an enormous challenge for the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and is seen by many as a key part of his modernisation of the Conservative party, giving it wider appeal to the younger generations. However, such a move has cost the leader support from many old guard in the party, MP Crispin Blunt conceded that it has cost Cameron support – “He’s made his point, everyone knows the fire he’s going through with some of his own colleagues in order to deliver this and I hope people are going to be appropriately grateful for the fantastic leadership that he’s shown on this.” he told gay media in the UK

In terms of the current opposition to the measure, Mr Blunt added: “Once this is done, it’s finished, it’s over and everyone will wonder what on earth all the fuss was about.”

The Bill will now head to the House of Lords where it is likely to face determined and uncompromising opposition. The House of Lord’s are the older unelected chamber in UK’s archaic political system and are well known for their opposition to such moves towards equality. If the bill passes in the House of Lords, it could mean that same-sex marriages could be legal in the UK as early as the autumn of 2014.